PAN Blog

Shel Israel over at Naked Conversations asked last week what kind of companies should or should not blog.

That question bounced around this week during a new business pitch at a company that doesn't currently blog, and hasn't thought of itself as the *kind* of company to blog. It made me think that we're not yet ready to comfortably say duing a new business pitch "Company X shouldn't blog because.." or "Company X should blog because..."

There's so much education that needs to take place before we get to that point that the question to the (potential) client instead might be, "Is there a possibility of reaching your audience through blogs?" The answer to that is arrived at through discovery; asking who exactly is the decision maker the company is trying to reach? Who is the next level below the decision maker that has influence; and who could be considered internal champions? Do they read blogs? Once answered you can move forward and determine whether or not to invest the time necessary to move forward with blog recommendations.

- JR

Companies big and small have to monitor the blogosphere for mentions of their names, period. Ignoring customers threatens any business, and turning a deaf ear to the grumblings of the customer base will absolutely lead to a PR crisis.

The latest casualty is Dell's customer support department. Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine chronicles his poor experience here.

Steve Broback, of the Blog Business Summit picks up the issue and broadens it out a bit here.

If some smart flack inside of Dell's internal PR department (and I know at least one) had a PubSub subscription set up to monitor what people were saying in the blogosphere, Steve Broback, myself and others might never have had a chance to write about this. Dell's PR firm seems to have dropped the ball, too.

One thing the blogosphere is really good for is providing a stage on which successes and failures are played out live for all to see and (hopefully) learn from. Such is the case with Ketchum's blog initiative.

There has already been gigabits written about all this, so it's not useful for us to continue to harp on these guys (Constantin Basturea chronicles this better than most). What is important is that other PR practices take something away from the Ketchum situation. As far as case studies go, this is one of the best we've seen for producing lists of what to and not to do when hopping on any sort of bandwagon--fad or otherwise.

-JR

Podcasting – It’s unchartered territory for many PR people, but it’s a new area we here at PAN are exploring for our clients. We’re currently working on a podcasting opportunity with Software Development Magazine , owned by powerhouse CMP Media , for our clients, Identify Software and Segue. The interviews for the audio files are taking place as we speak with company executives.

Similar to the way a feature story is developed for the magazine, the interviews revolve around certain topics, and are timed to run in conjunction with a print article, or in this case, a product review. These particular podcasts will feature discussions around Software Testing and Defect Tracking Tools. Everyone is excited about the podcasts, including Reporter Mike Rilley who spearheaded the idea. It will be interesting to see how this works out…we’ll post the podcasts as they become available which should be in the August/September timeframe.

Speaking of podcasts, there was an informative article in this week’s PRWeek about the podcast opportunities that exist for companies to reach tech-savvy consumers. It’s an interesting read and one that we thought was timely since we are currently involved in this new medium. For a more general view, read what Fortune’s Peter Lewis is saying in “Invasion of the Podcasting People.”

I hesitate to do it again, but Stephen Baker is among my "must read blogs" and Stephen's recent posts got me thinking today. He has been posting quite a bit recently on Jargon, as are other reporters: http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2005/11/blogs_breed_jar.html

Stephen's conversations on jargon starts with a post denouncing jargon, followed by a post mentioning that blogs breed jargon, followed by a third which made me laugh about jargon in an industry that....well, I'll just let you find that entry on your own....

The point is that there is a vast difference between jargon and use of technical phrases. It's OK for example, to develop a pitch or write a press release targeted to a security reporter mentioning some widely-used acronyms such as DVR. Where phrases get termed as "jargon" is when:

1) This technical information is sent to someone outside the target audience who would undestand it
Or:
2) When the pitch (or other various written materials) never address the core questions: What is this and why do I (or my readers) care?

Media eventually becomes niche; TV, newspapers, magazines....and blogs are no different. Blog communities will get more niche and PR people will become smarter about who they're targeting and how.
We can only hope that if people don't finally fix the second part of jargon (never addressing the what and why simply) they'll hopefully figure out the first by addressing thier targets a bit better as the blogosphere becomes more niche.

It all boils down to the most simple thought in PR or Marketing in general: KNOW your audience and speak clearly!

Judging by the reacation of some very happy clients at this year's 2007 International CES, blog coverage has become every bit as important to the overall exposure picture as any other type of mainstream media attention.

PAN client Eleksen, which makes an electro-conductive fabric that takes the place of traditional switches and can be sewn into just about anything in order to conrol electronics, became a blog coverage darling with pieces as diverse as this in PC World's CES blog, to this post (with an amusing headline) in Gizmodo, to this entry on Digg, and other sites on down the Tail.

Not all clients will have the sort of reception Eleksen gets, but for most the new media scene in 2007 will become more important more quickly than most had anticipated.

A few more PANners have struck out and started interesting blogs lately. Here's a quick recap:

Shannon Palmer shares "Some blonde insight for your day" on her new site; Lindsay Harrington covers a lot of ground--from PR to high heel shoes and everything in between--at "Short is the New Tall" and new mom and PR queen Becki Parkhurst shares her thoughts on both her jobs here at "PR, Babies and All The Rest."

If you get a minute drop by and take a peek into what these ladies are talking about on their sites. Nice to have you out here!

Check back here soon for new-to-pr Michael Sullivan's posts on making the transition from journalist to PR guy. Mike is a 15 year veteran of the Boston Herald who recently changed hats from hack to flack. He'll be sharing his transition with us regularly on PRspeak.

The mainstream media has picked up on astroturfing--fake blogs created by PR firms and political lobbyists designed to look like grassroots movements. And there are numerous examples of astroturfing, both in and out of politics

Friday's Boston Globe had a good story by Alan Wirzbicki about the concern political bloggers have over their sites being infiltrated by publicists posting as regular commentors. It's a legitimate gripe, too. Spam is annoying enough without it being from someone with an agenda that is diametrically opposed to your own.

Forget for a moment everything else associated with the astroturfing phenomenon; what ought to be of concern to PR firms is the black eye (or the deepening of the bruise) the practice gives our profession. If that's not enough, then think about the harm astroturfing will do to the building credibility of blogs as journalistic outlets (those that strive to be considered as such, at least).

The 2008 election will be a watershed event for new and social media. Now is the time to make sure its contributions count for something good and not become a case study in how bloggers 'gamed' the political process. That'll kill social media's credibility for good.

For the past month, President and CEO of PAN Communications, Phil Nardone, has taken time out of his busy work life in Boston and flown to blustery Syracuse New York, where he has been giving us the inside scoop on life at a public relations agency. Our class, which is made up of half graduate students and half undergrads at the Newhouse School of Communications, has been learning from Professor Nardone about the internal network of people that make up a PR firm and the specific functions an account manager performs day-to-day. Each Tuesday night, Professor Nardone conducts a 3-hour discussion and informational session about current trends in the PR world and what to expect from this scary thing call the “real-world”. Scary indeed, but Professor Nardone, while not sugar coating the business, gets us excited about life at an agency. Every class he gives us anecdotes of real work experience and special occasions that his PR firm, PAN Communications, Inc, does to keep up the morale and upkeep the work-life balance.

Our class was recently assigned the task of creating an RFQ for a potential client. We’ve been divided into three groups, each typifying one type of PR firm (small, medium, or large). Each of the three groups will need to eventually pitch to the client prospect reasons why our firm is the best. This is an excellent example of what real firms do to win accounts. It’s especially exciting because Professor Nardone has asked Maui Beverages, an actual client of PAN Communications, to work with us as the account the three groups will pitch. This is just another element Professor Nardone has included in the curriculum to prepare us for the life in the PR agency.

I'm posting this for one of Phil's students, Ji Yeon Jeong. She's got a great, authentic 'voice' that seems prebuilt for blogging. We hope to hear more from her on the blog about the cultural curiosities she experiences in school in the States. It's all about perception, and sometimes someone else's is pretty exciting, too.
- Joel

“What do you think about it?”
When Professor Nardone asked my opinion about a class topic, I was reticent. That did not mean I had nothing to say but showed that I approached the context of the class in my own way.
Some might not understand what I am talking about. I can appreciate that because I too did not understand American classroom culture when I first started my studies at Syracuse.
I have been in America about six months, and everyday I encounter cultural differences, especially when it comes to classes! I would say American classes are sometimes noisy and maybe even playful in a good way, but Asian classes are very quiet, perhaps even solemn.
In most Asian countries, including Korea where I come from, keeping silent in class without expressing an opinion is considered good manners. Even though a professor asks students their opinions, it may not be a real question, but more of a pro forma gesture to see if students are following the lecture. Therefore, students usually don’t respond to such a question. Traditionally and culturally, we think politeness is one of the highest values and we should maintain politeness to others, especially to older people. In the same vein, we think it is rude to express opinions opposite to or even divergent from those of the professor. Similarly interrupting others when they are speaking is considered most impolite. Sometimes, we are afraid to express an opinion or answer a factual question, even if we know the correct answer, because we are afraid we might state it incorrectly.

On the other hand, American students are very free to say what they think. Sometimes, they talk about their personal lives in class or advance opinions that are off topic, but they don’t seem to care.

I am still in a transition phase to American classroom culture and I appreciate Professor Nardone’s understanding of my transition. These days, I speak in my American classes. Even though I sometimes have no idea if I am making any sense, I still try to talk. That is one of the benefits I have gained from Professor Nardone’s class.

He keeps asking me, “What do you think?”

The iPhone has been available to purchase for some time now, but I still find myself debating on whether or not I "need" it. I can’t get it out of my head, it’s just so good looking!

Normally, I get excited about a new product or service, make an impulse purchase, and, like most of us, never end up using it. I tell myself I’ll change and that I won’t keep falling for the latest and greatest. But this is different, just look at it! It’s super-hip, super-savvy and super-geeky all-in-one. My first thought was, "I must have it!" But, I behaved and practiced patience. Then I see the review, the review of reviews, and there it is..HE said it. Walt Mossberg called it beautiful and said it’s a pleasure to use. It may have some flaws, but it still looks good and does very cool things.
I recently turned off the website access feature on my phone, and one of the reasons was because I didn't want to be one of THOSE people. You know, the one that constantly checks email on vacation and drives their significant other bananas. Some people simply switch off and don't check their email or voicemails when they’re not at work. But that's not me, I know myself too well, and that's why I turned my back on the CrackBerry in the first place...

My first Apple purchase (well, it was a gift) was the iMac, then I had to have an iPod (that was a gift as well) and now the iPhone (this can be added to one of your wish lists, said the devil on my right shoulder)...

iYes to the iMac...iYes to the iPod...iNoooo to the iPhone...I'm sticking to my guns, but we'll see how long iLast...

To read the review, go to:
http://solution.allthingsd.com/20070626/the-iphone-is-breakthrough-handheld-computer/

So, this past week marked the tenth anniversary of blogging. Good coverage in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal. As with most things Web2.0, it stirred up some controversy. Andy Beal has a good thread. But at the end of the day, does it really matter who started blogging? I am sure someone wants the recognition, and kudos to you, really. But, it’s been ten years, so let’s start thinking of how we can all use the tool of blogging to our benefit. There are countless studies out there by third parties that validate blogging and its place in our society. So, why hesitate? Join the masses. And I am not just saying that because I have my own blog, but because I truly believe that blogging, and all “new media” for that matter is just going to be how life is. You can relate it back to the Web and e-mail. Did we ever think that we would rely on email as much as we do now? I can tell you, when I started in PR ten years ago, email was not part of my job! It was all fax and yes, postal mail. So, here we are ten years later, no more faxes and I would almost venture to say, going down the road of ending email as we know it. So, to all the bloggers who are celebrating a Blogiversary, Congratulations. And for those who haven’t started yet, what are you waiting for?

I couldn’t agree more with Becki, This is such an exciting time for PR professionals as we capitalize on the impact new media can have on a company, executive, organization, etc. We now have an even greater opportunity to build strong relationships with our media contacts and other industry influencers. I am excited to work with each of my clients on placing an increased focus on blogging and new media. I don’t want to miss a single opportunity out there!

This morning Tom Ashcroft interviewed writer Akiko Bush. Normally I don’t listen to most of the NPR programming discussing the latest read, because I don’t particularly find listening to interviews about books to be interesting but today I tuned in.

Akiko wrote a book entitled, ‘9 Ways to Cross a River.’ The book chronicles her travels swimming America’s rivers. She says that to own our rivers we must overcome our fears and swim the nation’s rivers to truly own them. She also said that there is nothing more freeing to the mind and soul than swimming.

This interview lead my mind back to childhood. I would call myself an extremely strong swimmer, but I have a deep fear of the ocean. I have vivid memories of riding on the nearest adult’s back so that my feet would not touch the bottom, for fear that I would be bitten by a crab or worse a shark.

I don’t mind ponds and I have been known to jump out of my kayak and swim a river or two. But it is interesting that today most people have a deep seeded fear of their local waterways. The population is discouraged from swimming in natural areas. Over time we have built pristine pools, man-made lakes, ponds and of course those beautiful oasis’s at golf courses. (don’t tell me you haven’t wanted to jump in!) But, for some reason or other we have shunned most of our natural waters.

We are educated by local scientists to believe that our waters contain bacteria, trash and the occasional fresh water shark. I think we need to ask ourselves, where did this big fear of the water come from? Deep down inside we all just want to jump in. Think back to when you were a child, swimming was the most exciting experience. As a kid you didn’t care what you looked like in a bathing suit and neither did any of the other kids. You could play for hours in the water and it was never boring or too cold.

As adults we are always after things that are free and fun. That local river or pond, is free and it is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Don’t think about the creepy crawlers on the bottom, or the plastic bag floating near the shore. Throw on your suit and wade in the water. I would like to encourage us all to start a movement, ‘The Swim Movement’ where we rekindle our love of the water and jump in.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Last night, while enjoying a "cold one" at Haverhill's local brewpub, The Tap, I came across a great article on beer bloggers in the popular publication, Beer Advocate.

Seems that breweries are figuring out that these hop-head aficionados have a loyal online audience and are an important part of the marketing mix!

Check out these popular brew blogs or start your own and see if the samples start rolling in!

A Good Beer Blog
The Brewsite
Hale the Ale

P.S. My favorite brews are the Belgian ales! Yours????

Does anyone else feel they can’t do anything right?

I flew (or should I say attempted to fly) down to Baltimore via Baltimore/Washington International Airport from Boston’s Logan Airport. I was flying US Air from Boston to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, then onto Baltimore. My flight was to leaving Boston at 1 PM, arriving in New York by 3:20 PM and then off to Baltimore to arrive by 5 PM. It was imperative I arrive in Baltimore on time. Why, you may ask? Well, me, along with four other friends and family were on our way to watch a three game baseball series - Boston Red Sox vs. the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards – and of course - I had the tickets.

My flight from Boston was about 90 minutes late arriving at LaGuardia so I de-board the plane and start running through the US Air terminal in order to make my connection. Luckily I had carried on my luggage. As a arrive at the gate for my Baltimore connection, the monitors say the flight is delayed until 4:15 PM. Ok – no big deal. I stand in line to find out why and as I am standing there the monitor changes to reflect that the flight will now leave at 4:35 PM – with no explanation.

I finally decide to go to special services to see if there was another flight to Baltimore - either on another airline or out of JFK or Newark Airport. I even inquired about flights to Reagan International Airport and Dulles Airport, both in Washington D.C. I of course have to specifically spell out my request to the counter agent, although I believe it is their job to find me another flight when the delay is their fault. I should not have to spell out the specifics of looking on other airlines and airports.

After the ticket agent insisted there was nothing else she could do for me, I went back to my gate. The flight didn’t leave NYC-LaGuardia until almost 6:00 pm – THREE HOURS late, arriving in Baltimore around 7:30 pm. I was supposed to arrive there at 5 PM. I was over an HOUR LATE to the game which started at 7 PM.

The weather that day was rain. Not thunderstorms, not torrential downpours, just rain. Family and friends who were also coming from Boston to Baltimore had no problems arriving on time using other airlines.

Needless to say, after sending my complain letter to US Air, I do not even want the free ticket they may offer. I will NEVER fly US Air again.

As an avid runner my attention was drawn to Boston.com this morning for the story on “A Running Debate”.
This debate has been in question with runners and race directors over the past few months on whether or not ipods should be allowed during races. Last Sunday, I joined 12,000 other runners for the 35th annual Falmouth Road Race. This was my third year running the race and I did notice a drastic increase in the number of ipods and armbands on runners throughout the race. Nike has even caught on to this new trend in running. This summer the Nike plus running shoe hit stores designed with a transmitter that sends information about speed, distance, and calories burned to a runner's ipod.

The day before the Falmouth race there were rumors floating around that ipods were being banned this year and taken away at the starting line. Within my charity team of 15 runners about half of us were going to be running with our ipods. Looks of panic came over everyone at the thought that their music would be taken away before the race. We soon realized that we were safe and that it would be virtually impossible to try to confiscate thousands of ipods at the starting line.

Music is a HUGE part of any runner's training regiment, and when it comes to race day if you need the music that has brought you this far then I say go for it! Possibly it is a generational gap? My father a diehard athlete couldn't believe that I would be running with an ipod this year. But I say whatever gets you through the hills of Falmouth and 90 degree August heat and if that happens to be your ipod and your favorite song on repeat then the more power to you! Not to mention, I think the Nike Plus will be my next pair of running shoes. :)

To donate to the charity group I ran for this year - please visit The Genesis Club and help us to "Make Strides for Mental Health"

With all of the advances that social media has to offer, I've been a bit concerned by a few recent articles that are highlighting a sheer lack of decorum online. Healther Havenstein's blog recenty highlighted a research report on the psychology of rude behavior. Bottom line is, if people have a reduced sense of identity, they tend to be rude and act in manners that they typically would not. The biggest issue I see with this is that your online personality can follow you as much as your actions on a day-to-day basis. This can effect you down the road in job interviews or in dating - hey anyone can Google you. That's why I say - if you wouldn't do it or say it in real-time, don't do it online. You don't want an improper activity to haunt you down the road.

I thought the agency vs. corporation discussion in class was really interesting. Having only interned for a corporation, I think this class will be really beneficial to me as I start to decide which route I want to take when I graduate. I enjoyed my experience so much at Carrier Corporation last summer and like the idea of focusing on one subject. Other past internships have also focused on one topic such as interning for our local congressman?s office, St. Joseph?s Hospital, and Syracuse University?s Athletic Communications Department. I'm interested to see what the agency world is like and from what we discussed already in class, the agency arena holds many opportunities to advance and a more diverse environment.

So you’re going out tonight, and you’re bringing the digital camera with you! All those great pics of you and your friends havin’ fun at the bar, and plus it’s your birthday, so you’re wearin’ a crown and a sexy top. Great!

The next day you upload all the details of the night to your Facebook page, tag every one of your friends that joined you in the midnight shot of Cuervo, and blog about the ridiculous antics you all got up to. So much fun to share your life online! Right?

Of course it is, and Facebook isn’t the only venue. Blogs, MySpace, Twitter, Flikr, Friendster, Bebo, Gather, imeem, LinkedIn, Jaiku, Meetup, ok you get the point. There are hundreds more. The question is, as we grow more and more comfortable sharing our daily details online, how do we know where the line is when it comes to what is appropriate, and more importantly, what is NOT, when it comes to putting content online?

Maybe we should ask Mark Jen, Ellen Simonetti, or Mike Hanscom. Each was fired for blogging, and they weren’t even maliciously sharing inside information about their companies. In fact, all three were surprised that their company took issue with what they had written online, they were just sharing anecdotes, posting pictures of friends and having a conversation online, but in each case, what they had revealed in the course of blogging was ultimately considered inappropriate for a representative of the company to be talking about online.

Think it’s just blogs? What about that profile picture on Facebook? Or the wall post your friend wrote you? Just ask Charlie Barrow or Zach Good. Your boss might not be your friend, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know someone who is, so assume that everything you put on any social site can be found by anyone, regardless of your privacy settings. With 63 million active users, odds are one of them has a connection to your employer!

So now you have a clean Facebook profile, but seriously, you can’t control what your friends do! No one would ever hold you responsible for who you are friends with, right? Wrong. Just ask Officer John Nohejl, who is under investigation because one of his friends on MySpace has a link on his or her page to a porn Web site.

The moral? What you put online is not just a fun way to share with friends and family, it’s a reflection on you, your company, your family, your friends, your school and any other organization you belong to. In addition, even if you think you’re blogging anonymously, you will probably eventually be found out. (Fake Steve Jobs, for example). Keep this in mind when writing and posting! Follow guidelines for online interaction. And speaking from experience, never doubt how fast what you thought was an innocuous post can be spread to hundreds of people and create unintended waves in your personal and business life. The world of online interaction continues to expand, just be careful how you play in it!

Being a soon-to-be-graduate, about to enter the job force, doesn’t look as promising as it once did. Just when I was starting to get excited about depositing a biweekly paycheck into my account (rather than watching it ever-so-slowly deplete to double digits due to dinners out and weekends on Marshall Street), it looks like I might have to wait longer than I expected before making my first million. Why? It’s all due to a big scary word – recession.

According to Yahoo, “Economists at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley say the U.S. is heading for its first-blown recession in 16 years, and a recent CNN poll found that 57 percent of the public believe the U.S. is in a recession already.” So what does this mean for recent grads and first-time job-seekers? Not good. Come May, most of us won’t be reveling in our new grey cubicles and starched-collar corporate wardrobes. Instead, we’ll be sporting our orange and blue ‘cuse sweatpants and the top we slept in last night as we aggressively produce cover letter after cover letter from the comfort of our own home and ever-familiar MacBook Pro.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m optimistic us Type-A, Newhouse grads, will be just fine. After all, the people who work at the CDC (Career Development Center) will be out of a job if they don’t help us get one, right? All things considered, don’t fear the R-word. Stick to networking. And if all else fails, become a bartender at Chucks.

For those of us who have WordPress blogs and found it difficult to post over the past couple of days, don't throw your computer out the window, it's innocent... this time. In fact, the popular blog hosting service WordPress.com was hit with a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack that flooded the site with incoming data requests and basically knocked out peoples' access to their own blogs.

I know I had some issues that involved some not-so-kind words to my computer as I tried to post to my blogs yesterday. I believe some others had trouble as well.

My issue isn't the attack however, I understand these things happen and the folks at Automattic worked quickly to resolve the problems, but I am upset that they didn't notify all the users. This IDG article claims they let all their users know, but those I spoke with were left in the dark. Hopefully WordPress will be more organized next time (oh yes, I'm sure they'll be a next time) and won't leave their bloggers glaring angrily at their computer screens, oblivious to the real reason the post they just spent an hour on got lost.

I'm already convinced that social media will continue to expand in its business applications and value. I find it hard to believe it is just some passing fad - like stone washed jeans. It seems others agree. ClickZ's Enid Burns wrote a post this week on a report from TNS Media Intelligence/ Cymfony that confirmed that not only are marketing professionals taking social media seriously, but they are preparing to staff for it as well.

Soon there might be some new titles floating around the marketing office like:
- Head of Social Media
- Director of Consumer Generated Media
- Consumer Insights Manager
- Social Media Officer (SMO - yes, another acronym!)

I'm not sold on any of these names, but it's good to see that people are thinking about making a more permanent position for social media.

Side Note: For those of us who find themselves already deeply ingrained in various forms of social media such as blogging, here is an extra bonus: Blogging is good for your social life! No seriously, Duncan Riley of TechCrunch discussed this phenomenon by posting on the study from Swinburne University of Technology which found Bloggers experience happier social lives due to the social support and friendship networks they establish. He struck up quite the conversation on the subject as well, with the comments still rolling in further confirming his popularity.

If you’re paying any attention at all to social media, you know about Twitter. It’s all the rage in certain circles.

In case you’re not yet in the know, Twitter lets you give text message-length updates via the Web or SMS to people you want to communicate with. Simple as that.

Why use Twitter? Some people are still figuring that out. Is it just a waste of time? Granted it can be distracting. Do we really need to know what friends and coworkers are doing every minute of the day? In marketing and PR in particular, people are beginning to use it to get tips on stories from reporters, get quick feedback on ideas, and post links to a site or story they want to promote.

Sound intriguing? Spend a few minutes watching this “Twitter 101" explanation. Decide for yourself.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OYHUOESHpVk

It is no secret that nutrition is a hot (and healthy) trend for Americans. Recently, I attended a community Earth Day event in the beautiful suburbia of Westport, CT for a client, World of Grains, new whole grain snacks. As I handed out samples and information to the families attending I was amazed at the detailed questions and comments I received.

- How much sugar?
- Does it have wheat?
- Does it have quinoa?
- I am on a gluten free diet.
- I am on a vegan diet.

It is apparent that Americans have read a lot about ingredients and nutrition and are hungry for more information. You cannot open a women's lifestyle magazine without a new health food or study featured. The media is in a constant search for the latest "good for you" food and the readers are consuming it.

As a PR professional I really enjoy leveraging the experts I have on hand to deliver the facts to the media and in turn the consumer. Recently, with World of Grains we partnered with the experts at the Whole Grains Council to provide the media tips on how to spot healthy whole grains in the supermarket. The outreach benefits all parties -- gets the word out about the healthy product options, highlights the organizations' mission, sells the magazine, and most importantly gives the consumer the facts to live better.