MEETINGS
The Art of Rebranding
What’s involved in changing a company brand? What happens internally and externally
to the company’s message? How do you communicate the change to employees and the media?
Katherine Blachly, marketing director for SRS Real Estate Partners (formerly Staubach Retail),
will discuss corporate identification and everything entailed in rebranding a
firm at the August IABC meeting. She recently orchestrated the name change of
Staubach Retail to SRS Real Estate Partners.
Blachly joined SRS in 2008 and was tasked with rebranding the firm in six
months. A journalism graduate of Texas A&M with a Graduate Marketing Certificate from the SMU Cox School of Business, she
serves as one of 13 members of the SRS executive committee. Prior to joining
SRS, she was the marketing director for two real estate firms simultaneously — ChainLinks Retail Advisors and United Commercial Realty/UCR Urban. She also has
handled highly visible marketing campaigns, including a Dallas mayoral race and
the opening of American Airlines Center, as well as managed her own political
consulting agency.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25
Place: Petroleum Club, Jacobs/Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St.
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $15 (online add $1)
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Only as Young as You Feel
August is Diversity Month at GFW PRSA, with the August luncheon program — at a special time, Monday, Aug. 10 — “Diversity on the Other Side of 49: Coping with Generational Diversity Issues.”
How can matures, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and millenniums peacefully
coexist? Paula Yoder, executive director for the Tandy Center for Executive Leadership, will offer
coping strategies and explore how age differences affect acceptance in the
workplace.
Organizers promise a snappy presentation, whether you’re a seasoned practitioner already on the other side of 49, or if you still have
a ways to go. To join the Diversity Committee contact chair Glenda Thompson at 817-907-5934 or glenda@gesturesmarketing.com.
Looking ahead, September is Ethics Month, with a morning seminar and lunch — Sept. 16, back at the Petroleum Club — fronted by Alan Hilburg, president and CEO of Hilburg Associates. Details next month.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10
Place: Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center, TCU, 2920 Stadium Drive
Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers, students $20
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No meeting in August.
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STRAIGHT STUFF
Tricia Allen, a lifelong (since she was 5) inventor of stories and the brains behind the
David Weather mystery series, will discuss “Beyond the Scratch and Sniff: Five (More) Levels to Creating Memorable
Characters Who Drive Your Story” at the Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, at the Richardson Public
Library. WGT third-Monday early-birds: Sept. 21, Cindy Valor on researching and writing the historical novel; Oct. 19, Melissa O’Neal and Carol Woods. More from writersguildoftexas.org/joomla/. ...
The International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association offers a scholarship
to experienced writers interested in eating, drinking and traveling for a
living. Cash and an IFWTWA membership are included in the scholarship. Apply by Aug. 15.
IABC local update: An IABC Dallas “family friendly” happy hour unfolds from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Sega GameWorks in
Grapevine Mills Mall. Info here.
PRSA local update: Chapter member Sasha Denman of Weaver and Tidwell is recovering from a terrible burn accident earlier this
year at her home and receiving e-mails at supportsasha1@gmail.com. More at supportsasha.blogspot.com/.
PRSA local update II: The PRSA San Antonio chapter seeks a presenter on the
topic “Information Overload: How to Get Your Message Through the Clutter.” The session could be either a day or a half-day. Contact Beth Graham at 210-207-2638 or elizabeth.graham@sanantonio.gov.
PRSA local update III: Get help when you need it through the technical help
desk. For questions about renewing online, e-groups or any of the features on
the PRSA national web site, e- helpdesk@prsa.org or call 212-460-1484.
PRSA local update IV: Reminder. A job listing at dfwcommunicators.com could stretch your recruitment dollars. The DFW Communicators Job Bank lists
full-time, part-time and internship positions in PR, media affairs,
advertising/sales, event planning, graphic design, marketing, and corporate and
employee communications throughout North Texas. Employers who are members of
the participating organizations may post a job listing for $50; the cost for
nonmembers is $75. Nonprofits get a 50 percent discount. Each posting runs
three weeks. Greater Fort Worth PRSA receives a portion of the proceeds when a
member marks his or her membership status on the submission form. More from
Jerrod Resweber at jresweber@webershandwick.com.
PRSA local update V: A panel of Jennifer Coleman, Baylor Health Care System; Noelle Dugan, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas; James Roberson, The Dallas Morning News; and Suzie Robinson, APR, Atria Public Relations, will discuss what works and what doesn’t in health care reporting at the Thursday, Aug. 13, Dallas PRSA monthly
luncheon. Info here.
SPJ national update: Despite a pledge to reverse secretive policies of the Bush admininstration, President Obama continues to try to keep White House visitor logs under wraps. Obama says he
wants the records secret because they might reveal job applicants or
ambassadors who desire a private chat. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics
in Washington and msnbc.com want the records to see who is schmoozing the
president to influence national policy. CREW says it will sue for the records. More here. ... The New York Times profiles BBC Persia, a powerful new voice in Iran.
SPJ national update II: An online reporter qualifies as a journalist entitled to
certain protections under state law, a Texas appellate court ruled last month. Joe Kaufman sought a pre-trial appeal of a lower court’s refusal to dismiss defamation charges against him. In Texas, members of the
media have an automatic right to pre-trial appeals if the claim is rooted in
the First Amendment. The plaintiffs, a coalition of seven Islamic associations,
challenged whether Kaufman is a journalist because his work appeared on the
internet. More here. ... 14 journalists to follow on Twitter.
SPJ national update III: The Washington Post apparently solicited lobbyists to
pay from $25,000 to $250,000 to underwrite off-the-record “salons” at the home of publisher Katharine Weymouth that would provide access to administration and congressional leaders and the
paper’s reporters and editors. Yet the Post decries those who charge for access to
public officials. This raises the specter of a money-losing newspaper doing the
same thing. More here and here.
