Be Positive, Give Back and Become a Fan
I hope that you are having a great year so far - before we know it Christmas will be upon us. With the rise of petrol prices and interest rates causing a bit of a stir, at WordStorm we feel it’s important to stay positive and keep looking on the bright side.  It’s also important to keep your marketing budget as a priority because in an economic downturn this element of business is more vital than ever.

One way we stay positive is by giving back to the community. You can find out more about our efforts to raise funds for Cancer and read more about our blood donating experiences below. 

The WordStorm team love’s using new media to keep up with the latest trends and promote our clients. We have even launched our own Facebook page and invite you to become a fan. To check it out, click here. We’ve also put together a WordStorm Flickr site to give everyone a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at the WordStormery.

Another very beautiful personal event this year has been the birth of my second daughter, Avalon. Balancing business and baby seems far easier the second time round. It wouldn’t be possible without a husband who is completely hands-on (more than I am on many occasions) so I’d like to take this opportunity to applaud all the hands-on dads out there who truly experience the joys and frustrations experienced by millions of full-time mums every day.

Wishing you a joyful winter filled with skiing holidays, log fires, good books and great movies.  Ahhh, one day I’ll have time to enjoy all these things again!

Yours in Storming,
Monica Rosenfeld

Contribute to create a better world

On Friday 6th June, the WordStorm team hopped on the bus to the Clarence Street Donor Centre to donate blood. Despite some initial nerves about the prospect of donating nearly half a litre of blood through a needle and tube, it was an experience that will literally save lives.

One in three people will need donated blood at some point in their lives, yet only one in 30 people donate. The blood that we donated will go to people in a range of life-threatening situations - 30% of donated blood goes to cancer patients, 15% to people with heart disease, 12% to burn victims and 5% to pregnant women and babies.

As this is such an important cause, WordStorm plans to make corporate blood donation trips regularly. To find out how your company can do the same check out www.donateblood.com.au

Creating the Perfect Event
It seems as though the world has gone event crazy. When Danny Yezerski started TP Events 20 years ago he didn’t realise an industry in event management would flourish. Today there are hundreds of small businesses dedicated to event production and creation. There are even courses at universities, colleges and, in the near future the School of Event Management will be opened in Sydney.

So it seems society really loves events.
Events are actually the most primitive way to connect people - by being together and having an experience…

Danny has a brief look at what is happening today in the world of special events and how your event…

How Foodco Group uses marketing

Over the past two decades, Foodco Group Pty Ltd has become one of Australasia's leading food and coffee retailers. The Foodco Group comprises over 220 Australasian retail outlets trading through the Muffin Break bakery cafe and Jamaica Blue cafe brands. Foodco is a leader in the specialty bakery cafe and cafe niche markets.

We speak to Sharne Patient, the Marketing Manager of the Foodco Group.

1. What's been your most successful marketing activity to date?
Launching the Muffin Break Weight Watchers muffin range, as the first over-the-counter food retail outlet to negotiate a Weight Watchers branded product. We were very excited as it introduced a new range of customers to our stores.

2. Do you use any marketing research tools/websites?
We definitely do – we do research at least every 12 months, both our customers and non-customers through…

The New Rules of Marketing and PR $32.95 plus postage
The New Rules of Marketing and PR is one of the few business books that presents information valuable to both the small business owner and larger corporation. The advice is thoughtful, actionable and tied together with real world examples. It will lay the foundation for any PR novice or marketing professional who is trying to understand the shift away from traditional PR to engaging with consumers in an authentic way using a variety of social media tools including forums, blogs, videos and podcasts.
You can purchase the book at dymocks.com.au

Laura Blasdale

How did you get in to PR?
I grew up with a mother in PR, so from a young age I helped out packing and sending media kits, prizes and hitting the ‘send’ button on the fax machine (yes that’s how they used to send media releases)! I knew numbers weren’t my thing and I knew a bit about PR / media, so I undertook a number of internships to get some ‘hands on’ experience. I then studied at a private college before getting my first real break in the industry.

What do you love most about the job?
Generating positive media coverage for my clients (nice big articles)! Ultimately, that’s what PR is about, influencing the public - what better way to do it than through media. There’s nothing more…

Client News
WordStorm welcomes the following new clients:
Costumebox.com.au www.costumebox.com.au
Pelactiv www.pelactiv.com.au
Safeguard Fruit & Veggie Wash www.safeguardproducts.com.au
GROOVE Dance Expo www.groovedanceexpo.com.au

WordStorm would also like to welcome back:
Dilmah Tea www.dilmah.com.au

What’s On
Australian Advertising and Marketing Summit 2008
July 21st – 22nd (SYD)
The seventh annual summit in this highly successful series of events continues to examine the challenges of Australia’s evolving advertising and marketing landscape. Join the creative minds of Australia’s leading companies who will share their leading insight and authoritative predictions in vibrant discussion, giving you the insights to unlock excellence. Get the advantage and the answers you need to have.
www.acevents.com.au

Mobile Advertising Breakfast Workshop
July 17th (MELB), August 13th (SYD)
Learn from brands such as Pepsi and 20th Century Fox by looking at examples of recent mobile campaigns. B&T and Digital Media readers are invited to attend a free breakfast workshop with registration now open for events in Sydney and Melbourne. The workshops are ideal for brand owners, media buyers and marketers looking to understand more about how to utilise mobile advertising in all its forms.
www.bandt.com.au

What’s Hot?

Chocolate
Winter dressing and warm coats
Tea (and biscuits)
Leather boots
Phantom of the Opera
Cirque Du Soleil
Electric blankets
Charitable work

What’s Not?

Having your favourite song destroyed by having it overplayed on the radio
Overcrowded trains
High petrol prices
The end of Underbelly
Frizzy hair from the rain