Managing Your Communications During a Crisis (or a Pandemic)

Managing Your Communications During a Crisis (or a Pandemic)

By Mary Louise VanNatta, APR, CAE I know, I know, you’ve probably heard all you can stand about COVID-19 or coronavirus.  It’s all we’ve been talking about and thinking about. Our greatest concern is for those who are out of work.  In the communications/public relations arena, we are helping clients craft difficult messages to their…

Building Your Brand in a Digital Age

Building Your Brand in a Digital Age

In a digital era, your personal brand has never been more important. Look at celebrities who have strong personal brands: LeBron James, Ellen Degeneres, Beyonce. Though wildly different people, they all have clear similarities that have helped them to find success. In your career, it is no different. Having a strong personal brand will help…

Why Are Millennials So Angry?

Why Are Millennials So Angry?

Millennials are the 71 million people born between 1981 and 1996. They are entering the workforce, becoming parents, and experiencing life differently than generations past. And they are angry.  At least that is what pollsters are telling us. But why? For most, it appears to stem from financial, environmental and personal challenges. Many feel that baby…

VPR Ranked in Oregon Business Magazine Powerbook 2020

VPR Ranked in Oregon Business Magazine Powerbook 2020

Salem, Oregon (Feb. 13, 2020) – VanNatta Public Relations, Inc. (VPR) has been ranked by January 2020 Oregon Business Magazine’s Power Book for Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations firms. This is the eighth time VPR has been included in the Power Book. Compared with other Northwest companies, VanNatta was ranked 21st (based on size) as one of the…

VanNatta Public Relations Wins DJC Award for Best Public Relations Firm

VanNatta Public Relations Wins DJC Award for Best Public Relations Firm

VanNatta Public Relations, a PR, event planning, and consulting firm in Salem, Oregon was honored by the Daily Journal of Commerce as the Best PR & Marketing Firm. The award was announced during a private event held at the Jupiter Hotel’s rooftop bar in Portland, Oregon. The DJC awards celebrate and recognize the best the…

Local PR Firm Recognized for Excellence in Public Relations

Local PR Firm Recognized for Excellence in Public Relations

VanNatta PR wins again at Spotlight Award Ceremony VanNatta Public Relations (VPR), a PR, consulting, and event planning firm in Salem, Oregon, was honored by the Public Relations Society of America Oregon Chapter (PRSA) during their Spotlight Award ceremony for the work with the Salem Police Foundation to fundraise for a mobile command center. This…

Public Relations Vs. Marketing: Who’s the Boss?
|

Public Relations Vs. Marketing: Who’s the Boss?

Even among professionals, the difference between public relations (PR) and marketing is confusing.  There is an ongoing “discussion” between the two disciplines as to which is a branch of which (is marketing a tool of public relations or vice versa?).  Each is vying for the penthouse corner office.  How do we answer the question, which one is…

Word-of-mouth is Not a Marketing Strategy
|

Word-of-mouth is Not a Marketing Strategy

I don’t need advertising, marketing or public relations, I get plenty of business leads from “word-of-mouth (WOM).” WOM advertising is an organic way that individual consumers share their experiences with a company. The plethora of online options for reviews magnifies this exponentially. Yet the greatest influence is on those in the customer’s immediate vicinity: friends…

Rise of the Robots? Understanding Technological Unemployment
|

Rise of the Robots? Understanding Technological Unemployment

No one works as a bowling pinsetter nor delivers ice anymore. You can even order fast food from a kiosk or check into your hotel room and never talk to a person. There is no doubt that technology has eliminated jobs. Technological unemployment, as it is called, is seemingly inevitable. In some careers, human workers…

Where is My Mailing List? … And Other Stories from Excel Hell

Where is My Mailing List? … And Other Stories from Excel Hell

No offense to Microsoft, but if you’re still keeping your business mailing and prospect list in Excel, you are certainly in a special place called “Excel Hell.” This is a horrible place filled with lists and worksheets and workbooks and mysterious missing or misaligned columns that will slowly drive you insane. Worst case scenario, your…

How to Manage Your Boss
|

How to Manage Your Boss

There are millions of scholarly articles offering a barrage of advice and how-to’s for managing employees. We test personalities, have team building activities, performance appraisals and one-on-one meetings. However, there is another, often overlooked dynamic that can be beneficial to the success of an organization: How do employees manage their boss? “Boss management” is a…