Bring on the sunshine and a healthy dose of optimism
Can you believe we only have seven weeks left until Christmas? This year has flown by faster than ever before. It has certainly had its challenges with the retail sector experiencing the strain of consumers reigning in their spending.

I truly believe that the businesses that succeed in the long run take an optimistic attitude to the economy. Those that triumph through the difficult times don’t stop marketing but rather use this opportunity to highlight their benefits to potential clients and customers. It’s in times of doom, gloom and budget slashing that marketing managers, who take a strategic approach, can progress leaps and bounds ahead of their competitors.

Personally I am feeling very excited about the possibilities and opportunities that the new year will bring. Before we say farewell to 2009 though, I am looking forward to a lovely relaxing time over the Christmas break and several good stiff drinks!

Yours in Storming,
Monica Rosenfeld

Contribute to create a better world
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
After a month of pink and breast cancer awareness the message is clear – that early diagnosis is vital to treatment and we now urge everyone to spare a thought and some change for The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). The national body plays a vital role in the fight against prostate cancer, devoting all of its resources towards reducing the impact of prostate cancer on the community. The PCFA will host its first National Conference during November, aka ‘Movember’ - a month dedicated to men’s health (and the girls at WordStorm think it’s very important for men to be healthy!). www.prostate.org.au

Out of the box marketing

Today’s marketers are dealing with increasing fragmentation of their audiences in traditional media such as broadcast and print, but now have access to a myriad of non-traditional marketing techniques to assist in the task of capturing an increasingly elusive audience.

Combined with greater cynicism and ever-decreasing attention spans, particularly among younger demographics, marketers are seeking salvation with emerging techniques including ambient, viral and guerrilla marketing.

While the definitions are somewhat blurred, what all these communication techniques have in common is their ability to deliver messages in a highly impactful way, with a relatively small investment (compared to the traditional methods of large media spends to support marketing messages). And done well, they can also create…

How Pelactiv uses marketing

What's been your most successful marketing activity to date?
Our business is heavily focused on Beauty Salons so commercial marketing is not always a positive option for us. Having said that, we have always had great success with Good Health & Medicine magazine and the advertising and editorials we have run with them. On one occasion we ran a campaign where we gave every reader a free hand cream for a returned voucher. This received a major response and a huge number of consumers requested information about our products and stockists.

Do you use any marketing research tools/websites?
Absolutely. We have to keep abreast of the constant changes in product trends, consumer demands, what’s new…

The PR Writer’s Handbook: The Digital Age List Price $40.00
Covers a broad range of genres providing advice about the correct ways to write digital press releases, biographies, media alters, speeches, proposals, crisis responses and more. The engaging book discusses the best writing practices for public relations in the new media realm which, as it grows and develops, is becoming a more significant medium for communication ordering a new set of rules and guidelines for the written word.
Available from www.amazon.com

Catherine Guyder
How did you get in to PR?
I fell into it. I chose my degree (Bachelor of Arts in Communication) because I loved English and soon realised the degree was actually focused on public relations. In my second year of university I started my first PR internship at the Red Cross and really enjoyed it, so I pursued another internship a year later which turned into my first PR job.

What do you love most about the job?
I love getting positive results for my clients. At the end of the day it’s really fulfilling when you know your work contributes to…

Storming News

WordStorm PR has created an alliance with a New Zealand based PR agency called Word of Mouth Media New Zealand.

Word of Mouth Media NZ is a national media company run by ex-journalist Kip Brook.
Kip Brook has been involved in the international media industry for more than 20 years. He has an extensive list of clients he has worked with and has strong relationships with New Zealand media. Based in Christchurch, Kip’s firm Word of Mouth Media can provide substantial publicity for companies and organisations, carry out projects and secure top publicity for events.
www.wordofmouthnz.com

Client News
WordStorm welcomes the following new clients:
Infant Massage Information Service - www.infantmassage-imis.com.au
Alchemy Cordial - www.alchemycordial.com.au
Guy Stuff - www.guystuff.com.au
Blue Pod Coffee Company - www.bluepod.com.au
Clever Water - www.cleverwater.com.au
JUCY Car Rentals - www.jucy.com.au
Sydney Dental Professionals - www.sydneydentalprofessionals.com.au

What’s On
Professional Business Writing
27 November 2008 (SYD)
Learn skills that will help you write documents and proposals that are polished, persuasive and professional. The one-day seminar will teach participants the stress-free way for writing winning business reports. Held at the Sydney Writers’ Centre, the workshop is presented by Mel Wilkinson, an experienced corporate writer who also runs a corporate writing agency specialising in writing, editing and proofreading across a range of genres and corporate collateral. www.sydneywriterscentre.com.au/businesswriting.htm

ALIA Information Online Exhibition & Conference
20-22 January 2009 (SYD)
The largest event of its kind on the Asia Pacific Region, this exhibition will showcase leading suppliers from all areas of the online information sector, including: providers of electronic information, software solutions for online information and e-learning, content management solutions, web 2.0 technologies, news and information services, information management systems, online publishing and audio-visual equipment. A program of international experts will be speaking at the conference. www.information-online.com.au

What’s Hot?
Getting fit and fabulous for summer
Fresh flowers
Summer dresses
Holidays and party season
The new ad campaign for Tourism Australia by Hollywood director Baz Luhrmann
Breast cancer awareness all year round
Dunlop Volleys
The Palazzo Versace hotel

What’s Not?

Being hot and salty coming home from the beach
Skin cancer – slip slop slap!
Last summer (we hope 2008/2009 isn’t a repeat of last year!)
Winter flab and white skin
Mid-air incidents involving Qantas aircraft
World economy going towards recession