Gracie Communications

This Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a period of 40 days that some Christians say represents the time Jesus spent wandering the desert, enduring temptations and reflecting on his life’s purpose. In modern times, it has become a time for Catholics and others to give up their own temptations or, better yet, add good habits to fulfill their own personal goals and purpose.

Most of my friends, when polled, have decided to give up their bad habits – everything from too much meat and Diet Coke to chocolate and alcohol. Two of my friends are giving up Facebook.  More on that in a minute…

This got me to thinking. What if we communications professionals gave up our bad habits for as well? (more…)

At Gracie Communications, we spend a lot of time on defining and understanding audiences.  Part  of our marketing planning process is to create a profile of the ideal target audience: who they are, where they live, what they buy, what they are passionate about, what motivates them and where they go for fun.  Knowing the audience results in marketing strategies that act more like an arrow hitting the bull’s-eye than a shotgun spraying pellets. 

Sometimes we’ll create a picture or collage of pictures illustration of the ideal audience to help our clients visualize who they need to reach. Lately though, I think this approach creates more problems than clarity. (more…)

Girl Scouts of the USA know a thing or two about cookies.  They also know how to create a successful communications campaign.  Here are the 8 things I’ve learned about marketing and PR from helping my daughters sell Girl Scout cookies: (more…)

Next time you sit down with your employees (or clients) to discuss why internal communications is so important, bring up the Indianapolis Colts. (more…)

My husband is deaf in one ear. If I stand behind him, he knows I’m talking but he can’t tell what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter how loud I shout. It doesn’t matter how often I repeat myself.  I need to stand in front of him if I want him to understand what I’m trying to say.  The same is true for marketing communications. (more…)

Yes.  And no. (more…)

Curiosity can take many forms. Curious people read books. They scan the internet for answers. They sit in coffee shops and people watch. They strike up conversations with complete strangers. They may even eavesdrop.  Why? Because they want to know – have to know – what makes other people tick and how the world works.

Sometimes curiosity requires an out-of-body experience. (more…)