MEETINGS
Bottom-line Branding
Scott Yaw, managing director of Cincinnati-based Deskey Integrated Branding, has the floor Feb. 1 to discuss ways to put your brand on success. Attendees at the February luncheon will learn how to develop a 10-step plan to focus their organization on the profit prize and will see why brand-driven marketing wins and sales-driven tactics lose.
Yaw is credited with creating the global branding system for 3M's Post-It Notes; developing Tide Liquid's self-draining cap, the package that revolutionized the category; and helping DeWalt power tolls become a global brand with more than $1 billion in sales.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: $20 members, $25 nonmembers, $12 students
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Ten Things You Can Do to Increase Your Media Success
Expect a lively and frank discussion with Barbara Griffith, former WFAA-TV Fort Worth bureau chief, on how public relations professionals can improve media coverage for their clients. She'll come loaded with examples of the good and the bad -- and promises not to name names. She will also describe the changing landscape of local TV news and how it can work to the PR pro's advantage.
For this month only, the meeting is on a new day -- Pro-Am Day -- and there's $3 off the regular student meal cost. PRSSA members from TCU and Abilene Christian U. will participate in the annual "Mystery Tour" of workplaces and then join members and guests for lunch.
Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $15 students
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Jan. 20, 2005: Behind the Scenes on Pennsylvania Avenue
From hand warmers to horse forklifts to skirmishes between Sen. Trent Lott and the White House, pulling off the 2005 presidential inauguration was a mammoth and intriguing effort that kept a 700-strong military team hopping in downtown D.C. Shadowed by the U.S. Capitol and under lock-tight security, the Joint Task Force-Armed Forces Inaugural Committee handled the military ceremonial support that ushered George W. Bush back into office.
Despite tireless planning, there were glitches. A long-winded Lott kept Bush captive at the congressional luncheon, delaying the parade and leaving the Army and University of Texas Band idling in freezing weather for more than two hours. A bus broke down, four female streakers displayed their opposition to wearing fur, and, of course, it wouldn't be a Republican inauguration without at least one burned flag. The day wasn't dull, nor were the calamities that led up to it.
Journalist Penny Cockerell, a Navy reservist, served on the JTF-AFIC team that supported the inauguration. She'll tell you the stories as you digest this American rite of passage.
Time & date: mingling 5:30 p.m., eats around 6, program follows Wednesday, Feb. 23
Place: southern half of the ballroom cantina at Joe T. Garcia's Mexican food restaurant, 2201 N. Commerce St., Fort Worth
Cost: $13 members, $18 nonmembers, $5 students; cash bar; just to hear the program -- free
Menu: Joe T.'s legendary family-style enchilada dinner
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STRAIGHT STUFF
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart, editor at large for Smart Money magazine and a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, will discuss his latest book, "DisneyWar: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom," at a noon luncheon Wednesday, March 30, at the Fort Worth Club, 306 W. 7th St. Stewart is the author of three bestsellers, including "Den of Thieves" and "Bloodsport." He received Time magazine's best 9/11 book award for "Heart of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism and September 11." He earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 while at The Wall Street Journal for his reporting on the stock market crash and insider trading. InterStar Marketing & Public Relations is coordinating his appearance. Proceeds benefit SPJ scholarships. For information, call Julie Cooper at InterStar, (817) 332-6522. ...
The Fort Worth Journalism Project, a TCU-SPJ high school workshop , rolls out its third edition Saturday, Feb. 26, on the TCU campus. E- Mark Horvit, mhorvit@star-telegram.com, for details or to volunteer. ... The SPJ Region 8 conference will be March 18-19 in San Antonio. More from Travis Poling, tpoling@spj.org, (210) 250-3241. ... Bill Kurtis and fellow A&E producer Scott Richardson, Leonard Pitts of The Miami Herald and Diana Sugg of The Baltimore Sun will headline the Midwest National Writers Workshop in Wichita, Kan., May 21-22. Details at kansas.com. ... Dottie Gandy, author of "Choose! The Role That Choice Plays in Shaping Women's Lives" and "30 Days to a Happy Employee," promises laughter, inspiration and insight into making wise choices (even if they're spur of the moment) at the IABC/Dallas luncheon Tuesday, Feb. 8, at the Crowne Plaza North Dallas Hotel, 14315 Midway Road in Addison. More here. ...
Applications are due March 15 for the first American University/Center for Public Integrity Fellowship in Investigative Journalism. The recipient will be a full-time grad student at American starting in September and will work 15-20 hours a week on center projects. Fellows receive tuition and a $2,000 monthly stipend. Applicants must have at least four years professional experience. More here. ... Ole Miss is offering producers, reporters and editors a chance to learn more about covering nonprofits. Funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the June 16-20 program at the U. of Mississippi's Oxford campus offers an in-depth analysis of tax returns and financial data, nonprofits 101, philanthropy 101, regulations, etc. A sub-theme this year is women and minorities in philanthropy. Twenty journalism fellows will be accepted; travel expenses and tuition are covered. Contact Burnis Morris at brmorris@olemiss.edu or (662) 801-0948, or visit www.jour.olemiss.edu.
PRSA national update: Judith Phair, APR, Fellow PRSA, the president and chief executive of PRSA national for 2005, criticized syndicated columnist Armstrong Williams for promoting the No Child Left Behind Act without revealing that his comments were paid for by a PR agency under contract to the government. In a statement here on the PRSA web site, she says that "as public relations professionals, we are disheartened by undisclosed 'pay for play' tactics" and that such practices violate the PRSA Member Code of Ethics. The Department of Education paid a company owned by Williams $240,000 to promote the law. ... Following the tsunami tragedy in South Asia, the American Red Cross needs PR professionals to serve as volunteers with the PRSA/American Red Cross Power of Two program. The organizations established the outreach after 9-11. More here and also at redcross.org.
