By: Matt McDermott, Intern
Three weeks ago marked my first day as a creative intern at Travers Collins. The internship came about as a result of my own research and sparked interest in the advertising/public relations realm this past summer. From there it was a few emails, a phone call, a recommendation from my supervisor at my past internship, an interview, and wham, it was September 7 and I was in my cubicle at Travers Collins sipping on coffee and enjoying my first assignment. Life was good, but my feet hurt.
Continue reading "Pay it Forward" »
By Caitlin Zulewski, Account Manager
In case you hadn't heard, today the United States Department of Agriculture officially retired the food pyramid, the 20-year-old visual icon that described the USDA's (former) recommended guidelines for nutrition.

Continue reading "The USDA Ditches its Pyramid Scheme" »

By Shannon Holfoth, Account Coordinator
CareerCast recently released their list of the 10 most stressful jobs of 2011. Surprising to many, including some here at Travers Collins, public relations officers and advertising executives ranked at No. 2 and No. 6, respectively.
To compile this list, CareerCast weighed several factors, including work environment, income, future outlook, travel, deadlines, competitiveness and public pressure. It ranked 200 professions based on how these demands affected the work day.
Now sure, PR and advertising pros have to adapt to evolving mediums, juggle several projects simultaneously, maintain positive reputations and effective brands for their company or clients, deal with crises, handle tight deadlines and sometimes put in long hours.
Continue reading "Job Stress" »
By Bill Collins, Principal
The University of Notre Dame has written a new chapter in the crisis-communications textbook with the way the institution has responded to the tragic death of Declan Sullivan, the student who was killed when the elevated scissor lift from which he was videotaping the Notre Dame football practice fell.
Continue reading "Notre Dame Does the Right Thing " »
By Joe Sweeney, Associate Creative Director
The art of retouching can be a beautiful thing – undoubtedly, it opens a lot of doors for us so-called creative types. Because of the wonders of photo manipulation, nothing is off limits in a brainstorm. Want to attach a laser cannon to the top of an economy car? That’s doable. (That’s a real suggestion from a recent concept meeting, for the record.)
But, like any powerful thing, retouching is often used for evil. If you’re interested in how human beings actually look, then you might as well never look at another magazine again. And when I think about all of the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot hoaxes, my heart breaks (still believe you’re out there, Sasquatch).
Continue reading "Photoshop of Horrors" »
By Jeff Bucki, Senior Copywriter
I started thinking about the websites that I frequent while at work. Some are useful to what I do, and all of them are valuable in some form.
Dictionary.com
A dictionary and a thesaurus all in one. If I’m working on a naming project, tagline or theme, it’s a very helpful resource. I still pick up the real books from time to time, but this website is so easy to use. I probably use it on a daily basis.
Continue reading "Websites That Are Actually Quite Useful" »
By Christian Nole, Account Service Intern
Some people love to complain; so it was really no surprise that when Southwest Airlines experienced some technical issues with its aircrafts, a lot of customers, bloggers, and even some media outlets were quick to put Southwest on trial. I, on the other hand, like to consider myself a rational person. If you haven’t heard about it yet, Southwest Airlines had a little mishap on Friday. I will admit that it was concerning to hear about Southwest having issues with a hole in a plane, especially because I have always looked to Southwest as my first choice in air travel. However, there is a silver lining (not in the planes of course; that would have prevented depressurization).
Continue reading "Southwest Is Still the Best" »
By Joe Russell, Account Coordinator
You’ve heard of Foursquare but you have no idea how or why to use it. Maybe you’ve heard horror stories and are scared someone will stalk or rob you if you use it. Or perhaps you just need something to read to help you look productive since it’s Friday.
If any of this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.
My Foursquare Ethos
I’m not a Foursquare expert. I’m not a Foursquare super user. This is not a guide for marketing use. Sometimes it’s refreshing to be a consumer (but I did include some marketing resources at the end, wink). This is Foursquare for dummies. I’m a dummy like you who had the same hesitations about Foursquare a few months ago and now I’m just passing along what I’ve discovered.
For those who like credentials, here are mine:
Continue reading "Special: Foursquare for Dummies and 10 Useful Foursquare Resources " »
By Bob Travers, Principal
For the fourth year in a row Apple has been number one on FORTUNE Magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Not surprised here. Personally, I love Apple products and as a matter of fact, I own six Apple products including two iPhones (my wife’s and my own). And at the marketing communications company my partner and I own we have multiple Apple computers, products and accessories.
So I am what you would call a loyal purchaser of the Apple brand. And why am I so loyal? Because I know they will always deliver to or exceed my expectations, in what we in the marketing world call key moments of truth. Whenever I interact with Apple, whether it’s through the features or benefits of the product I’ve purchased, or when I call their customer support or technical support services, I’m continuously satisfied, for the most part beyond my expectations. As I counsel my clients, a great brand not only delivers what a customer is looking for, the overall experience is always a positive one.
However, in my opinion and I’m sure it’s shared by thousands of Apple customers across the country, Apple has blown it big time with the launch of the iPad 2.
Continue reading "Apple Blew It" »