The publishers of Brand Republic, the UK’s leading online destination for people working in the advertising, marketing, media and communications industries, offer an editorial on their website entitled “What’s the secret of a long ‘marriage’?” In that, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO chief executive Farah Ramzan Golant offers these wise words: “The key to long-term client relationships is constant reinvigoration…. You should constantly be looking at how you can do things differently, keep freshening the account teams and stay ahead of the game.” As a PR practitioner providing ongoing, dedicated counsel to a small roster of clients, I firmly believe in these vows, and back in December, I participated in an enlightening webinar hosted by Vocus and presented by PR industry thoughtleader Deirdre Breakenridge, who is the author of “PR 2.0” and “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations.” Entitled “Eight Techniques of the New PR Champion,” the knowledge and insights Deirdre shared really blew me away.

I have been handling PR for innovative business leaders and their (often relatively small) businesses for more than 20 years, and I’m very proud of my accomplishments helping my clients consistently achieve phenomenal success. There are many aspects of my experience which I feel play well into my role (a few examples include my training and background in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, my high-level contributions in the world of network television production, my writing, editing and pitching skills honed over the years, and my previous posts handling PR, marketing and sales internally and externally for ambitious companies), and I feel I’ve learned how to make myself especially valuable to my clients’ business ventures even when PR is not a top priority.

More and more, I am encountering opportunities among seasoned executives who place even greater value on PR and see it as Deirdre presents it — forming the mission-critical center of virtually all aspects of business operations.

If you have further interest in the evolving role of public relations in successful business ventures, I highly encourage you to read Deirdre’s books, check out her videos, and otherwise immerse yourself in the lessons she offers. In the presentation I attended, she described in detail these eight “new practices” that are key areas where PR professionals are adding immense value to businesses:
#1 The Policymaker
#2 The Internal Collaborator
#3 The Pre-Crisis Doctor
#4 The Reputation Task Force
#5 The Master of Metrics
#6 The Relationship Analyzer
#7 The Communications Organizer
#8 The Technology Tester

Even before detailing these areas and providing insights into the tools she has developed and used, the processes she has embraced, and more best practices and benefits that come from putting them to good use, Deirdre paused to make a key point: “PR people are perfect for handling social media.” With her encouragement and the confidence I’ve gathered in handling my clients, and with all the amazing insights into how to manage PR across organizations of all sizes, I am absolutely ready to rock for my clients in 2012.

Every year, the International Consumer Electronics Show unites tens of thousands of consumer electronics industry leaders, journalists and fans in Las Vegas, and most major news outlets mount impressive campaigns to cover and analyze the most interesting new products, developments and hype. While I have yet to attend a single CES, I do follow much of the news that comes out before, during and after the festivities. Now that CES 2012 is behind us, here are a few highlights I thought you might appreciate.

. Each of the actual CES Keynotes is available here.
. Ad Age Staffers’ Biggest Highlights and Takeaways From CES
. As CES opens, what are the most wanted gadgets? by Chris Morris for Variety
. Best of CES Awards 2012 from CNET
. CES Exhibitor Press Pitch Videos ~ tip courtesy of Larry Dobrow for MediaPost’s VideoCritique.
. CES 2012: Here’s What The Music Biz Will Be Watching For by Andrew Hampp, NY and Glenn Peoples, Nashville, for Billboard
. Top 7 Green Gadgets To Debut at This Week’s 2012 CES by Diane Pham for Inhabitat.com
. Wrap-Up: Tech’s Effect on Behavior Underscored at CES from Creativity

This spot for the Illinois State Lottery was produced by Energy BBDO in Chicago, directed by Dom Bridges of Bob Industries, and features visual effects from design-focused production studio Leviathan. As Leviathan’s Jason White recently explained to SCREEN Magazine:

“We appreciate this engaging story. Something we can all relate to. Effective and emotive. We really got behind the aspiration of the spot concept – capturing these amazing gift revealing holiday moments.”

Today, White and his colleagues reported on their very successful 2011 in SHOOT Magazine. Here’s wishing you many magical moments and dreams come true over the days ahead.

Founded in 1999 with full service offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Stockholm, B-Reel specializes in the field of advanced digital productions on multiple platforms including web, mobile and out-of-home media. They collaborate with sister company, B-Reel Films on integrated campaigns. B-Reel Films is a traditional film production company.