Salem, OR (Oct. 26, 2022)—Salem public relations professional, G. Harvey Gail, received the Ron Schmidt Community Involvement Award. He accepted the honor at the Oregon Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Annual Spotlight Awards on October 7. The statewide recognition is named for Ron Schmidt, who served as a press aide to…
Salem, Oregon (Jan. 7, 2021) – VanNatta Public Relations, Inc. (VPR) has been ranked by January 2021 Oregon Business Magazine’s Power Book for Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations firms. This is the ninth time VPR has been included in the Power Book. Compared with other Northwest companies, VanNatta was ranked 15th (based on size) as one of the…
By Mary Louise VanNatta, APR, CAE Happy 2021. As we peek out of our homes and into the new year, even just to offer an arm for a vaccine, we hopefully are leaving most of the quarantine behind. These long months have created a new way of living that has been coined, “Quarantine Culture.” This…
VanNatta Public Relation wins five awards from the nation’s leading professional communications organization VanNatta Public Relations (VPR), a PR and consulting firm in Salem, Oregon, was honored by the Public Relations Society of America Oregon Chapter (PRSA) during their Spotlight Award ceremony. The company was recognized for five noteworthy PR campaigns in 2019-2020. VPR has…
Job security is not what it was in December of 2019. In particular, young professionals face even less job security because they have less experience in their roles, often have fewer skills than their counterparts, and haven’t built strong, long-term relationships. For young pros and many business professionals, the next three to six months will…
Try and make a difference this holiday season. “Old Man Yells at Cloud,” is a popular meme of Abe Simpson, Homer’s father from the television series, “The Simpsons.” The image is used to make fun of people who are angry over frivolous controversies or things they can’t control. One picture featured Grandpa Simpson yelling at…
Mary Louise VanNatta named a Woman of Vision Salem, OR (Oct. 20, 2020) – Mary Louise VanNatta, APR, Fellow PRSA is one of the Daily Journal of Commerce’s Women of Vision award winners for 2020. The annual awards honor women who are shaping the built environment in Oregon and Southwest Washington via leadership, mentoring efforts,…
You’ve just finished your resume. It’s full of your accomplishments, goals, hopes, and dreams. You’ve spent hours and hours crafting it and are finally ready to apply for that dream job. Little do you know that most employers (especially now) have received hundreds of applications for a position. Because of this (and the human attention…
By Mary Louise VanNatta, APR, CAE Do you sometimes feel you are the ringmaster in your business’ three-ring circus? Barking orders, keeping the monkeys from creating a ruckus, and the tigers from eating the guests? Is your environment distracting with multiple acts vying for attention? Some businesses have an improvisational culture and run on “circus…
Salem, Oregon (August 25, 2020) — Mary Louise VanNatta, APR, CEO of VanNatta Public Relations, was recently selected to join the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) College of Fellows. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the nation’s leading professional organization serving the communications community. The college of Fellows is an honorary organization…
By Mary Louise VanNatta Mask required! Stay six feet apart! Don’t run with scissors! Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the new COVID-19 safety signs? You’re not alone. As regulations are increasing, businesses are adapting. Protecting public health is critical. However, people generally don’t like being told what to (SHOCKING). While you certainly can’t convince…
In times like these, it’s easy to be negative. When was the last time you heard a positive story on the news? Oregon feels like a pot of boiling water, frothing and churning, threatening to spill over the sides at any minute. Many people are trapped in their homes, losing money, losing connections with loved…
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…
Regularly, the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) publication Strategies & Tactics reports trends in the industry. The Jan. 2020 issue suggests that people are growing angrier. They cite a 2018 Gallup Poll of more than 150,000 in 140 countries reporting feeling more stressed out, worried, and angry than ever. For business, this trend is…
Starting a new job can be challenging. There is usually a learning curve as you adapt to the different factors of a new workplace. In addition to your work requirements, you will need to learn how to interact with your coworkers as well as your boss. You will need to understand office rules — like…
By Mary Louise VanNatta, APR, CAE Everyone struggles to reach goals and meet deadlines. It’s easy to fall victim to procrastination or to let the draw of a doughnut or a bag of chips cause you to stray from your diet. The new year is a great time to set expectations and resolve to…
So, you are a new college graduate, an established young pro, or on the hunt for your first “big” job. For most, you are transitioning from an organized, structured school program to an unpredictable, chaotic world outside of academics. This change can be shocking. The job search is difficult and often results in repeated rejection…
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…
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…
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…
