RIF RAF :: The Official Blog of the Rochester Advertising Federation » Self-Promotion

In case you missed the last 20 Minutes and a Beer, we got it all on video.

Scott Wolf — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:53:35 +0000

Chris Lyons and his freelance insights managed to pack the Tap & Mallet last week. So much so that many of us found ourselves standing in the back or at the bar because there just wasn’t enough room. In case you were one of those unlucky few, or you managed to get a good seat and just want to hear Chris’ presentation again, we captured it all on video and posted it to Vimeo just for you. Watch it below or visit http://vimeo.com/16175466

20 Minutes & A Beer is an educational/social program started by the RAF as a way to showcase our local authorities on various topics that are relevant to our industry and market. On Tuesday October 19th at the Tap & Mallet, Freelance Illustrator Chris Lyons gave a talk about working without a net: Making the jump to freelance.

The RAF is the Rochester NY chapter of the National AAF and is a group dedicated to enriching the creative community through programs and sponsorships that educate, celebrate and inspire great work.

The Tap & Mallet is located at 381 Gregory Street, Rochester, NY 14620
(585) 473-0503

- Scott Wolf

Roc Rocks!

Sharon Harper — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:21:24 +0000

Rochester is home to considerable communications talent. On the heels of yet another successful Addy Award ceremony, the Public Relations Society of America Rochester Chapter celebrated the 20th year of its annual PRism Awards program. The event was held on June 11 at Casa Larga Vineyards.

The PRisms acknowledge the highest standards of performance in public relations. This year’s theme—“Who Says PR Is Easy?”—speaks to the process of making our clients look good while we make it look easy.

Categories are included for web and print materials, direct mail, brochures, and press kits, among others. Both corporate and not-for-profit sectors are recognized in each category. For the very first time, the PRSA Rochester Chapter extended the awards to include social media categories. (With full disclosure on shameless self-promotion, Martino Flynn was honored for its innovative work in two of these non-traditional categories, including “blog” and “blogger relations”). This year’s Best of Show for the Corporate category went to Text 100 for their B2B campaign, “Xerox Takes the Headache Out of Office Printing.”

Individual PR professionals from the area are also recognized, like the CEO of The Year. The Rising Star award is rewarded to someone who demonstrates exceptional competence, skill, and leadership, and has no more than seven years of experience. The Sharleen M. Bruse award goes to a PRSA member with more than 10 years of experience who epitomizes the integrity and professionalism of a public relations practitioner. This recipient is also very involved in community service and routinely help advance the career development of other chapter members.

So congrats to all the 2009 PRism winners. As well, a BIG thanks to everyone in the profession for their contributions that are fostering growth in the field and taking us to new heights.

What do you want?

Michael Chatfield — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:35:57 +0000

I’ll start by saying I’ve seen this approach succeed twice in the past 3 months, so I’m starting to believe that there may be some merit to it.

I’ve found that clearly identifying and making known what you want out of a situation can do nothing but help your cause.

Most situations have 4 critical components:

A) Your current state
B) Your desired state
C) What you are willing to do to get from A to B
D) The person who ultimately has to say yes

We all know what A is. But what often goes unmentioned is B. And if you haven’t made it clear to D what B is, then how can you formulate C?

“I am an intern and I want to be hired.”
“I am an Assistant AE and I want to be an Account Executive.”
“I have a 3.5 GPA and I want to have a 4.0.”

…”and here’s my plan.”

So if you are not where you want to be, consider this approach:

1) Determine B.
2) Put on C on paper and get buy-in from D. Execute the plan and update D frequently on your progress. Keep B top of everybody’s minds.
3) D can’t say no.

So, what’s your plan?

Love for LinkedIn

Andrea Zuegel — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:39:17 +0000

I’m going for a job interview this week. I know the name of my interviewer and her organization. Within 2 minutes I expect to know her background, what she looks like, and whether or not I know anyone who knows her. Yes, I’m talking about LinkedIn.
As a freelancer, I’ve come to rely on tools like LinkedIn, but it’s not just for me…

Employers send requests to their contacts when they need to fill a position (that’s how this opportunity came my way).
Colleagues promote each other when their contacts have opportunities (again, how I got hooked up).
People get references from other people who are in their “degrees of separation.”

Plus, it’s just fun to look up people you know (God, did everyone in this town except me work at Buck and Pulleyn at some point???).
LinkedIn may seem like old news, but I still find a lot of people who either aren’t on, or whose profiles badly need attention. Seems like the Rochester ad community lives and breathes by its connections. If you’re not already linked up, get hopping.

— Andrea Zuegel

Sent from my iPhone.

Robin Lohkamp — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:15:18 +0000

while i love my iphone am not afraid to show it, i have to wonder what my new email signature says about me. on-trend early adopter? check. but as a freelancer, it also admits to any client e-mail recipient that i am definitely not in my office. which is exactly where i should be, busily branding on their behalf. might as well admit my email was “sent from the elliptical machine at penfield fitness and racquet club”, “sent from my target holiday shopping extravaganza” or “sent from my long-overdue hair appointment at scott miller.”

so i ask you, status symbol sign-off or blatant out-of-office tip-off? discuss.

Crickets

Kate Sonnick — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:34:36 +0000

helloooooooo…is anybody out there? just wondering cuz it gets pretty lonely in here. if you’re listening, i got a proposition for ya. done any good work lately? something you’ve been itching to show off? well, let’s have it. honestly, i’d (heck, we’d) love to see it. and post it here for the other two people who read this blog (not counting my mom, natch). let’s start our own little exhibit of cool work being done in this town. because we both know it IS happening, right? send a nice jpg of your latest and greatest to kate@katesonnick.com and i’ll post it here. be sure to include credits and a brief description of what it was for. students, this includes you, too! show us what you’ve got.

Local creative goes big. Really, really big.

Robin Lohkamp — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:20:18 +0000

So there I was in Barnes and Noble, nibbling my scone, sipping my Fiji and fueling my creativity with the October 2008 issue of How. Which just so happens to be the Self-Promotion Annual. And right there on page 94 is our 2008 ADDY Best of Show winner, the Rochester International Jazz Festival press kit created by WXXI in-house team Jon Haliniak and Kristen Tutino. How cool is that?

Another bit of bigness to hit the pubs is John Myers Photography in the Communication Arts Photography Annual. With a full spread for his work on the Boy Scout annual report! Apparently no good deed goes unnoticed.

And speaking of spying big ideas, rumor has it you’ll be able to see some MasterCard work from Roberts Communications in the upcoming 2009 Graphis Advertising Annual. Whit Thompson and Mark Stone are so money with their clever creative. Look for it at the end of the month.

Apparently, creative juices floweth big time down the Genesee River. Go ROC.