Blog

Join us in conversation on the topics we believe matter...to our industry, our city and our society.

Disney's "Frozen" Breaking Records and Expectations

By Ann Smith | Mar 19, 2014

With its DVD release in US stores and debut in Japanese theaters this weekend, the Oscar-winning movie “Frozen” is expected to surpass Disney Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” as the highest grossing animated film in the world. Generating $1 billion at the worldwide box office, the same day it won two Academy Awards for Best Animated […]

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Wine-making "Miracle Machine" too good to be true, but supports a great cause

By Mary Gorretta | Mar 18, 2014

Can you turn water to wine? Did you see the video advertisement for this product a few weeks ago? The ‘Miracle Machine’ claimed it could “turn water into wine” – making wine in three days with just water and a few other ingredients. The product seemed legitimate, particularly because it was promoted in the video […]

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Lessons Learned in the Art of Pitching

By Ann Smith | Mar 14, 2014

Sometimes we have to learn firsthand that our pitches aren’t working –or even worse, outright stink. I have been in the public relations industry for almost a decade now, so I have had my share of successes and failures. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned that I want to share with you: You’re not […]

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Don't Forget to Tweet Your Vegetables

By Ann Smith | Mar 13, 2014

Anyone with an account on FaceBook,  Instagram and the like has been assailed by food porn – what seems like never-ending images of  elegantly plated bacon-wrapped shrimp or a sky-high stack of pancakes drizzled with whipped cream and caramel. Like its more salacious cousin, you know it when you see it. Food porn is found […]

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Welcome Kailee!

By Ann Smith | Mar 10, 2014

Welcome Kailee Pence to the A.wordsmith team! Kailee joins as our spring intern and we’re so excited to have her. There’s much about her to like, starting with her love of country music, good Chinese food and visits to both the beach and mountain. Here are 5 more things you might not know about her […]

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I'm not bossy. I'm the boss.

By Kelda Rericha | Mar 10, 2014

Yet again, Beyonce is awesome. And so is Condoleezza Rice, Jennifer Garner and a handful of other female and male celebrities contributing to the Ban Bossy campaign, a partnership between the Lean In and Girl Scouts organizations, which launched today. As the mother of two boys (soon to be three) I’ve always felt very comfortable […]

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ChickTech

By Kris Travis | Mar 5, 2014

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to check out ChickTech’s High School Science Fair, held at PSU. ChickTech is a very cool organization whose mission “is dedicated to retaining women in the technology workforce and increasing the number of women and girls pursuing technology-based careers.” The high schoolers participated in a weekend-long set of […]

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DeGeneres' Oscar Selfie is a Record Breaker

By Ann Smith | Mar 3, 2014

Did you watch the Oscars? The highlights are making the internet rounds—from Matthew McConaughey thanking himself to Lupita’s tear-jerker of an acceptance speech to the pizza delivery guy and his pizza, but the biggest news may be Ellen DeGeneres’ record-breaking Oscar selfie. Currently at 2.5 million retweets and counting, the shot contains a staggering amount of […]

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The Power of the Telephone

By Ann Smith | Mar 2, 2014

Picking up the phone In today’s world, we use a variety of outlets to communicate with others and voice our opinion. From emailing, texting, tweeting, posting, pinning, sharing and liking, the ability to communicate is near limitless. The one thing most people have moved away from is using the telephone. You can click to read […]

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Anonymity and Temporality in Social Media Marketing

By Ann Smith | Feb 25, 2014

There has been a lot of chatter in the news recently about social network for sharing secrets, such as Whisper (Celebrity gossip! Lawsuit filed!) and Snapchat (Another big brand opens up an account!). These platforms, however, bear little resemblance to Facebook and Twitter, on which so many organizations have focused their social media marketing efforts […]

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