GET
INTERACTIVE!
 
Welcome to the first of our new quarterly e-newsletters
 


Cohn, Overstreet & Parrish is excited to announce the formal launch of our Interactive practice. This specialized unit will focus on New Media opportunities including web 2.0 applications, interactive technologies and search engine optimization.
 

  

As an agency devoted to helping our clients communicate better with their customers, we thought it wise to practice what we preach. We’ll aim to be short on verbiage but deep in knowlege-sharing and best practices. As always, your suggestions and feedback is invited and welcomed.
Welcome
Joining our CO&P family: Ben Carter Properties, BVI Resources, Center for Visually Impaired, iMom, National Neuro, New South Partners, Media Brokers, Reignmaker, The Rock Ranch, Warrick Dunn Foundation and Water’s Edge Resort.
Thought Starters
Is Your Website Working for You?
Creating your website involved a sizeable investment of thought, time and money. Are you receiving the desired return on that investment?

Maintaining a quality website is a lot like getting that tree to grow in your front yard. You can dig a hole and place in the sapling. But in order for it to grow into a nice shade tree, you need to apply a little care and feeding. The same holds true for your website.

Your web presence is a valuable marketing tool, but it needs to be relevant and engaging for your target audience, and like any product, updates, upgrades and upkeep are ongoing. Does your website reflect your brand? Are you giving your customers what they are looking for and in a format that is easy to navigate? Is your content current? And, does your online presence integrate within your overall marketing strategy?

Back to our tree analogy; if a few leaves are a little worn and brown, adding a little fertilizer or water can help. If your website is looking a little worn, it might be time for a little TLC.

Are You Ready for That Hurricane?

We all know about saving for a rainy day. Is your company ready for the hurricane? We’re not really talking about the weather (although there have been two Category 5 storms this season). Does your company have a crisis communications plan? If your answer has only two letters in it, you should consider creating such a program.

  Crises happen all the time: it could be a fire, robbery or a high profile legal issue. How well your company communicates during and after that crisis can impact whether your company is hurt, or maybe grows as a result. It’s important that your company knows how it will deal when an issue is at hand, and how you will communicate with the press, public
and internally when a crisis does occur. That’s a manual you can’t afford to write once the hurricane winds are barreling down on you.

CO&P’s Crisis Communications unit is led by industry veteran Jim Overstreet. Jim’s worked with a wide array of companies, including Coca-Cola, Philip Morris Cos, Eastern Airlines, Marriott, and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Please ask how we can help you create a crisis plan for your company.

Applying the Best Leverage

The CEO is wild about golf. But your company makes dresses for dolls. How are you going to leverage sponsorship of that golf tournament? Snicker, but we’re guessing that the challenge of maximizing event sponsorships is an ongoing challenge. Banners and logo impressions are nice, but to provide a stronger ROI, you need to actively engage your target audience. Let’s use another example. We’re all familiar with food festivals. If your company sells grits, a food event can be a great fit. You’re thinking that it’s a wonderful place for a booth and banner. Great! Now add the butter. Engage the audience with cooking demonstrations and tasting sessions. And don’t forget the recipe handouts!

And now a little conversation starter: ask us how coffee and beach chairs combined with a little ice to attract media attention and spiffed up sales.

In Other News

Nearly 40% of men and 53% of women who play online games said their virtual friends were equal to, or better than, real-life friends. This comes from a survey conducted by Nick Yee, a PhD graduate from Stanford University. More than a quarter of the 30,000 gamers he surveyed said the emotional highlight of the past week occurred in cyberspace.
– Wall Street Journal 8/10/07.


According to the National Restaurant Association, Boomers spend more per person on restaurant meals than any other age group.The New York Times is going free. It’s ending its practice of requiring pay per view with the end of its TimesSelect program.
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