Buzzing About

Jennifer Jenkins

Jennifer is President of JJPR Agency with more than 20 years experience in marketing, public relations and event planning.

Recent Posts

JJPR Takes Best Of Show At PRCA Medallion Awards

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Apr 10, 2017 3:30:00 PM

This past week we were thrillied to take home a total of five awards, including Best of Show from the Public Relations Council of Alabama’s (PRCA) Medallion Awards. We received Best of Show and a Medallion Award for our community relations and media relations for Haint Blue Brewing Company. In addition, we received awards for our work with Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Children’s of Alabama, and Innovation PortAL.

 

Full list of 2017 PRCA awards include: 

 

BEST OF SHOW

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MEDALLION AWARD

 

 

AWARD OF MERIT

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AWARD OF MERIT

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AWARD OF MERIT

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We're honored to be able to produce award-winning work for our clients, who inspire us daily. The collaboration and partnership we have with them drives our creativity and desire to help them succeed. Whether it be public relations, marketing, or event planning, we'll leave everyone buzzing about your business.

A special thanks to Mighty Advertising for allowing us the opportunity to collaborate with them on the Haint Blue campaign!

 

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Topics: Alabama public relations, PR agency, PRCA, Medallion Awards, Marketing

Top 16 in 2016

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Dec 29, 2016 1:00:00 PM

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December is a month for making lists and checking them twice. As 2016 comes to a close, JJPR has quite the portfolio of work that we’ve created this past year. Our tiny-but-mighty team worked together with the most amazing clients to create smart, resourceful campaigns that are yielding big dividends for their companies. And that warms our hearts.

So, as hard as it was to narrow the list to only 16, here are our top picks from 2016:

 

  1. Innovation PortAL

The Mobile Area Chamber, in their usual forward-thinking, entrepreneurial and economic-development fashion, began efforts in late 2015 for a business accelerator and incubator for the area known as Innovation PortAL. What started as a simple business plan morphed into a full scale branding project and website for this new program. And what’s even more thrilling to JJPR, this program landed national recognition with a $2.9-million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to renovate a building on St. Louis Street in downtown Mobile to house Innovation PortAL. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of helping birth this new program for our area.

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  1. Haint Blue Brewing

We love front porches and even more than that, sharing a cold one with friends on those porches. So imagine how pumped we were when our friends at Mighty contacted us to help promote Haint Blue Brewing, a new brewing company in Mobile started by Keith Sherrill whose number one objective is to make good porch-drinking beer. Haint Blue Brewing launched a crowdfunding campaign to give investors an opportunity to own a piece of this new microbrewery and build a taproom for Mobile. We had a blast helping source the porches for the video to support the campaign as well as promote Haint Blue’s story in local media outlets in the region to secure investors for a very successful campaign. We can’t wait to see what’s on tap for Haint Blue in 2017.

 

  1. Fuse Project

In the spring of 2016, we began working with Fuse Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children along Alabama’s Gulf Coast through its innovation, funding and projects. We couldn’t be more honored to work with this group of young professionals who give a whole new name to movers and shakers. With events like their annual Dragon Boat Festival and their new high-stakes poker tournament, Fuse Royale, they never cease to amaze us with their innovation in raising funds for our area’s youth. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed working on these events and much more, as well as helping brand the new Fuse Factory, Mobile’s new nonprofit co-working space.

 

  1. Business Where You Beach

BWYB_web_screen.jpgAs a Baldwin County, Alabama-based business, we are passionate about being part of projects that help drive the local economy. So we were thrilled to have the opportunity to create a new campaign, Business Where You Beach, to help visitors think about Alabama’s beaches for more than just pleasure. We created an integrated marketing campaign including a new website, print and digital ads and social media, to help create awareness of Baldwin County not only as a premier beach-vacation destination, but as an even better place to live and work. As the nation’s eighth fastest growing MSA
(according to the U.S. Census Bureau), Baldwin County is the prime location for business, a qualified workforce and beautiful beaches to boot.

 

  1. Publicizing the Port

The Alabama State Port Authority is one of our state’s greatest assets and one of JJPR’s as well. Each quarter, we produce the Alabama Seaport magazine, the longest continually published Port magazine in the country. From expansions to new partnerships, the Port is working for us all - whether it is with the quality jobs it brings or the economic impact it yields for our entire region. We’ve started work on a refresh of their ad campaign, so stay tuned in 2017 for more great things from the Port. 

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  1. BASF_EmployeeNewsletter_2016_Page_01.jpgCreating Chemistry with BASF

BASF is a 150-year-old company that creates chemistry for us to enjoy many products and solutions that improve our everyday life. This past year, we’ve enjoyed telling their story and the many great things they do in our community every day, from promoting their presence at Worlds of Opportunity, to assisting with production for their Town Hall meetings, to developing sponsored content stories about their work in the community, to providing educational grants for K-12 schools in our area to enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning. This company does so much every day for our community.

 

 

 

  1. A New Look for Safe Harbor

JJPR loves a good story, and the housing community in Bayou La Batre has just that. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, nearly 3,000 Bayou La Batre citizens thrived in this Gulf Coast city on the shores of Alabama, fishing its waters, building ships, and enjoying their hometown. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the community was devastated, with many families left homeless or displaced. Safe Harbor was established in 2008 through a FEMA Affordable Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) grant intended to assist the Bayou La Batre community in the wake of Katrina. 

The initiative was designed to combat homelessness by meeting residents’ immediate needs, as well as by providing the opportunity for permanent, affordable housing solutions. While initially compromised, Safe Harbor has rebuilt and transformed into a reprieve for this once-struggling community. Today, Safe Harbor’s 100 beach cottage-style modular homes provide residents with affordable, safe, and community-driven housing aimed at supporting and improving the lives of Bayou La Batre’s heart and soul – its people.

We were delighted to help rebrand this community program aimed at supporting and improving the lives of those in Bayou La Batre.

 

  1. Perspective Eye Center

We were elated to help Dr. Stephen Gross and Dr. David Helton in their quest to create a new experience in optical care on the Eastern Shore with Perspective Eye Center. JJPR was excited to help develop the new brand for their business with a new logo, website, advertisements and establishing their social media presence. Check them out and see how their innovative care approach can help keep your life in focus.

 

  1. PDQ

Two words: chicken tenders. Whether they are fried or grilled, on a sandwich or by themselves, the team at PDQ creates a fresh take on fast food. PDQ stands for People Dedicated to Quality and we were ecstatic to help promote the only Alabama location of PDQ, located by the South Alabama campus in Mobile. Fresh tours of the restaurant’s kitchen, followed by a tasting, were a huge hit for local media. Our mouths water just thinking about their delicious menu and we always look forward to our next visit.

 

  1. City of Daphne Library The Porch

JJPR was also honored to develop a new branding and promotional campaign for the Daphne Public Library. With nearly 400 public programs and a variety of services utilized by 275,000 visitors annually, the big idea behind the More Than Books campaign is that the library is alive with so much more than just books. And because of the abundance of programs and traffic, the library needs community support to build a new multipurpose meeting space, The Porch. (Visit their GoFundMe page to get in on the action.)

 

  1. Baldwin County Education Coalition

In January, we began working with the Baldwin County Education Coalition, an independent nonprofit organization striving to create a compelling vision for the future of our schools and communities. With a revamped website, betterbaldwin.com, monthly e-newsletters, and promotion for Coalition events throughout the year, JJPR has been honored to help elevate branding and awareness for this organization that is ensuring the future of education in Baldwin County.

 

  1. YMCA

As a nationally recognized organization, we have been honored to promote the YMCA of South Alabama to the community it benefits. From managing social media to promoting and planning events, we’ve gained a new love for the family-first philosophy that supports children and adults in our area. One highlight from this year was helping the wonderful fundraising committee with the second annual Gridiron Gala. Not only was the event a huge success, but we thoroughly enjoyed working as a team with the selfless staff and volunteers at the Y. Rubbing elbows with Eli Gold, Jake Coker and Phil Savage was an added bonus.

 

  1. Infirmary Health

We couldn’t have been more excited when Infirmary Health approached JJPR this year to help rebrand a legacy program of Mobile United. The team worked to rebrand and expand the program as Live Better Together to encompass additional counties in Southwest Alabama. With all-new branding and a revamped website, we’ve worked to help create a brand for this program that aims to positively impact the health and well-being of our region by partnering with community leaders and organizations in efforts to achieve a healthy weight and better access to care in our communities.

 

  1. JJ Eyes

What woman (or man) doesn’t love great eyewear? Whether sunglasses or eyeglasses, the ladies at JJPR love every minute of the research and development that goes into managing the social media for JJ Eyes each month. So if you are in Fairhope or Homewood, stop in at one of their stores to ooh and aah over their eyewear – they bring new meaning to eye candy.

 

  1. Eventful Year for Children’s

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Once again our work with Children’s of Alabama tops the list as one of our favorites. Helping promote and support events that benefit young patients and their families who have to travel from the Gulf Coast to Birmingham for medical treatment of serious illnesses makes this work most rewarding. From Tee Off Fore a Cure to Boots & BBQ Barn Bash and Children’s Cup Regatta to the Reel Hope Classic Fishing Tournament, we are thankful for another year and another opportunity to work with Children’s.

 

  1. Port City Rentals

We are in love with the new look we helped develop for this 40-year-old company. Having called on the amazing team at Port City Rentals countless times for client events, we were honored when they called on us to develop an all-new brand for Mobile's largest and oldest full-service tent and event rental company. 

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We have been tremendously blessed to work with every single client and every single project this past year, not just these 16. Each one is a collaboration and we are grateful to be part of promoting their companies in Alabama and beyond. Cheers to a joyous 2016 and a Happy New Year in 2017!

 

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Topics: website redesign, Social Media Marketing, event promotion, event publicity, social media, event planning, Alabama public relations, PR agency, JJPR agency, Marketing, branding, website design, events, design, rebranding, print ads, advertising, advertising campaign, media relations, integrated marketing campaign, digital ads

All the Buzz: November 2016

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Nov 23, 2016 11:00:00 AM

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, it’s only fitting we take a moment to recognize all we are thankful for here at JJPR—namely, our wonderful clients who keep us busy all year round. And over the past couple of months, we’ve had the opportunity to partner with them on a variety of noteworthy projects, raising funds and awareness for everything from local children’s health care and nonprofit support to new brews in Mobile. Check out what we’ve been buzzing about lately.

Events

Event planning can be hard work, but it’s all worth it in the end—especially when it’s for a good cause. Three of our clients recently held fun events benefiting local children and we were honored to be involved.

Known for its “wow” events (like the annual Dragon Boat Festival), Fuse Project held its inaugural high-stakes poker tournament, Fuse Royale, on October 6 and pulled out all the stops! The exclusive tournament brought together some of the region’s most influential business leaders, raising funds for children across the Gulf Coast over a friendly game of poker. The event raised over $50,000—a portion of which has already gone to benefit local schools. Sarah had fun channeling her inner James Bond to design these cool invitations, and we even tried our hand at wax seals putting it all together!

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IMG_3924-edited.jpg Fuse Royale Seals and Invitation Assembly.jpg       

 

Children’s of Alabama then held its third annual Boots & BBQ Barn Bash at Camp Grace on October 13. Proceeds from the annual event provide funding for a pediatric rheumatologist to hold clinic in Mobile, allowing easier access to care for children along the Gulf Coast suffering from autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis. Through social media, some creative media relations tactics and day-of support, we were pleased to see Children’s have another successful Barn Bash. One of our favorite parts was assembling these fun media kits (though we’re still finding hay around the office)!

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Less than two weeks later, on October 25, we joined the YMCA of South Alabama for its second annual Gridiron Gala, benefiting children and families across the Gulf Coast. Securing media and event attendance was a breeze given the Y’s impressive lineup of speakers this year, including sportscaster Eli Gold, Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage and keynote motivational speaker Dr. Kevin Elko. We had a great night supporting the Y’s wonderful mission—and rubbing elbows with Eli Gold was definitely a perk!

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To learn more about how we put events like these together (and for some exclusive tricks of the trade), download our free Event Planning Workbook or get in touch!

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Campaigns

In addition to events, some of our clients have taken to social media recently to enlist community support.

For example, we’ve been hard at work branding and promoting the Daphne Public Library’s new More Than Books campaign. The idea behind the campaign is twofold: first, that the library is alive with so much more than just books (in fact, it’s home to nearly 400 public programs and a variety of services utilized by 275,000 visitors annually); and second, that because of this traffic, the library needs community support to build its new multipurpose meeting space, The Porch. Check out some of creative wizard Sarah’s designs for the campaign here.

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To learn more, follow the library on Facebook or visit the campaign’s GoFundMe page.

 

Fuse Project has also been active in the community and on social media lately with the grand opening of its new nonprofit co-working space Fuse Factory, its Order of Fuse Fall Gala, and its new Fuel the Fuse campaign. Coinciding with Giving Tuesday, Fuel the Fuse is all about giving back and recognizing the great work Fuse Project does for the community’s most valuable resource—our children. Through large fundraising events like the annual Dragon Boat Festival and through partnering with other local nonprofits, Fuse supports children across the Gulf Coast. Learn more by following Fuse on social media and checking out their fundraising page.

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New Work

When not campaigning for children and literacy, we’ve also been at work supporting one of the coolest new businesses in Mobile—Haint Blue Brewing Company. Fearless leader and Army veteran Keith Sherrill founded Haint Blue last year and is now poised to establish Mobile’s first microbrewery since prohibition. The company has secured the historic 1927 Crystal Ice House as its production space and aims to open doors by Mardi Gras 2017. You may have already seen Keith sitting down with neighbors and sharing a brew, and we hope you’ll join us in toasting the success of Haint Blue! The company is currently seeking investors to fund the project, and has already raised more than $200,000! Learn more about how you can get involved and help build Mobile’s taproom here.

Haint Blue | Taproom Project from John Avent on Vimeo.

 

We’ve also been thankful to work with another new up-and-coming business in the Mobile-Baldwin region, Perspective Eye Center. Run by Doctors Stephen Gross and David Helton, Perspective aims to provide top quality vision care to patients of all ages, and is opening doors in Spanish Fort soon. We’ve had some fun with branding, logo and website design and just finished the company’s landing page—stay tuned for the full site!

 

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Staff

In addition to the exciting work and wonderful clients, I’m also grateful for the lovely ladies who make it all happen. In recognition of all their hard work, we’ve had some exciting news in the office lately. We recently named Leigh our first-ever managing director. She will now serve as the operational lead for the agency, helping to align business development and client relationships with the overall success of the agency. At the same time, we brought on Taylor full-time as an account coordinator. Having interned with us since spring, Taylor has proven to be an invaluable addition to the team with her hardworking, always ready to lend-a-hand nature, as well as her marketing and social media talents. I can’t say how thankful I am for each one of our special JJPR team members.

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Enjoy the holiday and we’ll see you in the next All the Buzz!

 

Topics: event planning, PR agency, JJPR agency, Marketing, branding, website design, design

Automating Processes for Seamless Events

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Sep 21, 2016 12:30:00 PM

From setting the date and picking the perfect venue to selecting décor and promoting your event, there’s a lot to think about during the event planning process. As you generate interest for your event, it’s important not to forget the people who’ll make it all come to life—your volunteers and guests. How will you manage your volunteers and ensure each knows how, when and where they’ll be needed? Will your guests be able to find event details and register easily? Luckily, there’s a myriad of programs and strategies you can utilize to help make both volunteer management and event registration seamless and efficient.

 

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Volunteer Management

Volunteers are as essential as sponsors and paid staff to making your event a success. By donating their time, they are able to execute the logistics and behind-the-scenes needs so your event can run smoothly and reach its goals. Show your appreciation by making the experience as easy as possible. Some useful volunteer management tools we’ve utilized in the past are volunteer assessments and pre-event volunteer training.

A volunteer assessment helps identify event needs and organize volunteer capabilities, assigning roles and responsibilities and listing relevant information like the date, time and location where each volunteer is needed. In addition, it should also detail where and when volunteers may be needed for relevant training, if applicable. Of course, you can organize this yourself in an Excel sheet and by keeping in close contact with your volunteers, but as events get larger, it’s often easier to use an online program like SignUpGenius or SignUp.com. With basic, free packages and more comprehensive monthly or yearly plans, these platforms offer a variety of services including shift signups, administrator management tools, calendar syncing, email reports, reminder notifications and volunteer hour reports. Other online programs like Samaritan Technologies, InitLive, and Better Impact, offer services catering to recruitment, mobile, real-time communication and even nonprofit-specific needs.

 

Event Registration

Now that you’ve planned your event down to the last detail and organized your staff, how will you get your guests there? Event registration can be done in a variety of ways, but as with volunteer management, online systems can make the process smoother and more efficient for all parties involved. Popular online tools like Eventbrite allow you to create event web pages, send invitations and emails, track registration progress and even scan tickets. Guests will also appreciate the ability to pay for tickets online through their credit card or PayPal account. Check out these other popular online event registration tools: Constant Contact EventSpot, RegOnline and Brown Paper Tickets.

 

Learn more about planning successful, seamless events by downloading our free Event Planning Workbook. 

Happy planning!

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Topics: event promotion, event planning, eventPR, events

5 Things to Consider When Planning Your Next Event

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Jun 29, 2016 3:26:36 PM

When we tell people we plan events as part of our agency services, we often see starry eyes and giddy faces. But for those who are event professionals, the response is usually “Bless your heart,” because they know just how much hard work and planning go into making an event successful.

While JJPR has been honored to work on events that have involved famous chefs, movie stars and award-winning entertainers, the reality is that all events aren’t glamorous and everything doesn’t always go as planned.

The Murphy’s Law adage, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” certainly applies to event planning. That’s why we have put together a list of five things to consider when planning your next event, along with our just-released Event Planning Workbook to help break down your next event and ensure it’s a success.

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1. Have a plan. 

With events, failing to plan ensures a plan to fail.

So often, the biggest downfall when planning an event is the tendency to rush to thinking about the theme and décor, while overlooking the more important details like the purpose and goals.

Our team starts with a simple event management framework, found in our downloadable e-book, that helps lay out the answers to these and many other important aspects in order to ensure the event achieves objectives and maximizes our client’s return on investment.

This framework helps think through every detail of the event including:

  • Purpose
  • Activities
  • Audience
  • Approvals and Permits
  • Logistics
  • Number of participants
  • Event team (volunteers or paid staff)
  • Budget
  • Tasks
  • Vendors/Suppliers
  • Registration
  • Sponsorship
  • Marketing
  • Evaluation

2. Make promotion a priority.

Marketing and publicizing your event is a critical component that shouldn’t be an afterthought.

When marketing an event, you want to make sure that you are thinking about all the details. Following are three essentials proven for a successful public relations and marketing plan for your event:

  • Set SMART goals for your event. Consider ROI from the beginning and measure after the event. When developing goals for the event, ensure they are:  
    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Audience-Specific
    • Realistic
    • Timed

One of our clients, Children’s of Alabama, hosts a variety of events that we help coordinate, such as the Reel Hope Classic fishing tournament and the Tee Off Fore a Cure golf tournament. We help set goals for these types of events, planning out how to incorporate social media, collateral materials, copywriting, media relations and event marketing tactics to achieve those goals. Check out examples of materials we developed for past Children’s events here.

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  • Be creative.

For an event to be special, you often have to think out of the box on creative ways to transform your event, especially when working on a limited budget.

One of the most exciting and fun parts of event planning is the creative development. However, creating a theme for your event may sound easy, but done right, it’s no small task.

Our team collaborates on Pinterest, pinning ideas to event boards for inspiration to help set the tone for the event.

Here are a few examples of the creative angles we’ve taken for past events like the “Yellow Day” movie premiere, Seafood, Science & Celebrity and Sunday Supper Gulf Coast.

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"Yellow Day" movie premiere

 

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Seafood, Science and Celebrity

 

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Sunday Supper Gulf Coast

 

  • Use multiple touchpoints.

A marketing approach that uses multiple channels for promotion is an effective way to spread the word about your event. To be successful, events need to be promoted across multiple channels to create a cohesive marketing approach.

First, determine the audience you will be targeting for your event and their communication preferences. Once you have determined which touchpoints resonate most with your audience, plan your promotional strategy to generate the highest amount of attendees. By communicating with your audience early and often leading up to your event, you will create top-of-mind awareness for your attendees, resulting in an optimal turnout for your event.

One of the best ways to grab attention and drive attendance, especially from the media, is with a creative media kit. Check out some of our past successful ideas, such as this nautical-themed Children’s Cup Regatta media kit.

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 3. Stay on budget and on task.

One of the first things we ask clients  is what is the budget for their event.

No matter how big or small the budget, developing a comprehensive budget and corresponding tactics is critical for success to ensure you plan financially and mentally for every detail of your event.

A misconception about events is that you have to have a huge budget to have an amazing event. We have planned many great events on a shoestring budget, due to careful planning of finances where items yield the most return on investment.

 Our workbook includes a sample budget and task list template to help you:

  • Work through every detail of the budget, by category
  • Assign areas of responsibility
  • List tasks within each area in the budget
  • List due dates
  • Note budget to actuals
  • Track status of all details and any comments

4. Manage logistics and the team.

As an event planner, you are responsible for managing logistics including everything from vendors to volunteers to VIPs.

Planning for activities that will happen on event day is imperative, and the small details are the ones that will catch you by surprise. We utilize a number of tools to ensure all event activities our team or vendors are responsible for are planned down to the minute. A couple of these tools include a Load-In/Load-Out Schedule and a Run of Play.

The Load-In/Load-Out Schedule is essential for ensuring vendors, volunteers, and sponsors arrive and that load-in items for the event are on time and in order, as well as to make sure that break down when the event is over runs smoothly.

In addition, preparing a Run of Play is important to ensure the event stays on time and that those involved, whether speakers, entertainers or others, are cued to help the event run smoothly.

 Our event planning e-book provides templates for both the Load-in/Load-out schedule and a Run of Play.

5. Measure your event’s success.

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Selling tickets and drawing a big crowd are certainly good measurements for evaluating the success of your event, though attendance is just one of many barometers. In fact, there are a lot of post-event questions you should be asking. What was the response from attendees—positive or negative? What type of media coverage did the event generate? Did the event cause sales growth?

You should have multiple evaluation methods in mind well before the event’s planning phase even begins. Look back at your objectives and see whether your stated goals were met.

Now that you know some of our trade secrets for successful event planning, up the ante on your event planning even more and download our free Event Planning Workbook here.

Happy planning!

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Topics: event promotion, event publicity, event planning, eventPR, events

5 Things We Are Buzzing About This Month

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Feb 5, 2016 12:47:28 PM

January came in like a lion and we’ve hardly come up for air (in a good way). But make no bones about it, no matter how busy our team gets we always make time to chat about the good stuff – the best books, TV shows, recipes, stores, and yes, new work. So here’s what we’re Buzzing About this month:

Making a Murderer

Not one but several of us binge-watched this Netflix documentary and we are about to pop waiting for the rest of the agency to hurry up and finish watching.

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A 10-part series, "Making a Murderer" is a troubling tale about the case of Wisconsin resident Steven Avery and nephew Brendan Dassey that had us glued to our seats and casting great concern over the legal system. Avery, who first made national news in 2003 after being released from prison following being wrongfully accused of a brutal rape, is now accused along with his nephew of killing young photographer Teresa Halbach who came to take photos of a van at his family’s salvage yard. 

Now, we’re just PR and marketing folks and not crime scene investigators, but there’s more holes in the prosecution’s case than Krispy Kreme has in all its donuts.

On a different note, with all of the social media attention this phenomenon is drawing, they’d be wise to engage their audiences with a few of our social media marketing tips. Read more here

 

King Cakes

Speaking of sweets, the JJPR team loves Mardi Gras and maybe mostly for the King Cakes.

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We’ve had our King Cake fix from Paul’s Pastry in Picayune, MS and Randazzo’s in New Orleans, LA, and most recently from Party Palace King Cakes out of Kenner, LA bought fresh from Allegri Farm Market right down the street.

 

Delicious (and Healthy) Recipes

Enough talk about sweets, we really do try to eat healthy in our office – some because gluten hates us and others just because it tastes good and makes us feel good. nonie.jpg

A few of us have been inspired by our friend Nonie Taul and her success with Naturally Strong with Nonie where she provides exercise and eating plans. We’ve been obsessed talking about the yummy recipes, our aching bodies (oh, those planks) and more than that, the results – we have not only trimmed down, we feel great. If you need some motivation, check out Nonie – she is awesome!

 

 

A Great Read

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Our team loves a great read, so when we find one, we share. This month, we’ve been talking about my latest read, The Heart Led Leader, by Tommy Spaulding. The notion that the journey to heart-led leadership covers only 18 inches but lasts a lifetime is a concept our team truly believes in. The 18 inches, by the way, is roughly the distance from each person’s head to their heart. The writer uses heartfelt, tearjerker stories that focus on the fact that “who you are” matters more than what you do and that the power of leading from the heart is the reason behind the success of some of the most formative leaders he has encountered. 

This book is a must read for anyone who leads in any form.

 

 

 

Cool New Work

Last but definitely not least, we have been busting at the seams to reveal our latest branding work for a cool new project in Mobile, the Innovation PortAL. A team of young entrepreneurs backed by the Mobile Area Chamber is creating this new small business incubator and accelerator that will encourage the successful development of entrepreneurial businesses on the Gulf Coast. 

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The Innovation PortAL will renovate a building on St. Louis Street to create state-of-the-art office space designed to promote a collaborative environment. In addition to substantial business support, networking and training programs, tenant clients will be offered leases at below-market rent. Tenant clients are expected to remain in the incubator/accelerator for approximately three years, or until their businesses are mature enough to “graduate” from the program.

We’re pumped about the Innovation PortAL and are honored to have the opportunity to work on the business plan, branding and a microsite for this visionary group.

And to make sure you don't miss out on everything we are Buzzing About, make sure to sign up to subscribe to our updates.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

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Topics: Social Media Marketing, social media, branding

Top 15 in 2015

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Dec 31, 2015 8:29:29 AM

As 2015 comes to a close, reflecting on the portfolio of work that has been created by the JJPR team is, well, humbling. Our small but mighty team works collaboratively with some amazing clients to create smart, resourceful campaigns that ultimately help their bottom line. And that makes us smile.

So, while it was hard to narrow the list, here are our top 15 picks from 2015:

 

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 The future of manufacturing in the Southwest Alabama region is bright and people are taking notice. After the Southwest Alabama region received a national designation by the U.S. Department of Commerce as one of the first 12 “Manufacturing Communities in the U.S.” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnerships (IMCP), JJPR was honored to name and brand this designation for our region, (IMCP didn’t quite roll off the tongue). After lots of research and development, the committee selected Advancing Southwest Alabama as the name of Southwest Alabama’s manufacturing community initiative and chose this logo to brand themselves. We also had the opportunity to develop a website to promote manufacturing successes in our region.

 

Publicizing the Port

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We would be remiss if we didn’t include the Alabama State Port Authority on our list. Each quarter, we enjoy producing the Alabama Seaport magazine, the longest continually published Port magazine in the country, as well as producing their advertising and placing media. From expansions to new partnerships, being part of this vital economic driver for our local, regional and national economy is pretty sweet, kind of like our iced tea.

 

Creating Chemistry with BASF

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 In mid-2015, we began working with the world’s leading chemical company, BASF, and their McIntosh, Alabama, operations. This 150-year-old company creates chemistry that enables us to enjoy many products and solutions that contribute to improving our quality of life. And we’re enjoying telling their story and the many great things they do in our community every day, from sponsoring the BASF Kids Lab at the Gulf Coast Exploreum to providing educational grants for K-12 schools in our area to enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Power it UpBEMC_PowerofGiving_Poster.jpg

 

This year we had the opportunity to work with Baldwin EMC, the largest electric cooperative in the state of Alabama and one of the fastest-growing electric cooperatives in the nation, on a couple of fun, creative projects that were also aimed at helping our community. We teamed up with their awesome internal marketing team to build two creative campaigns to convey the Power of Giving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Land in Baldwin

As a Baldwin County, Alabama-based business, we are passionate about being part of projects that help drive the local economy. So we got a little giddy when we had the opportunity to create new branding and a website for the South Alabama MegaSite, a 3009-acre Certified MegaSite and Advantage Site strategically located on the I-10 aerospace and automotive corridor with easy access to the Port of Mobile, air, and rail. We know people are going to find that Baldwin County is shovel ready.

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The Camellia CompanyCamelliaCo_EcruSage_HorizontalLogo_OptionA_RGB.png

 

What woman in the South doesn’t swoon over beautiful heirloom children’s clothing? Well, the ladies at JJPR can easily say we loved every minute of the research and development that went into branding this new children’s clothing line that is being developed right here in the Port City by two savvy female entrepreneurs. Let’s just say if you are a fan of bonnets, monograms, and signature polos, you will go crazy over this new line.

 

Eventful Year for Children’s

We have a soft spot for children - that’s why our work with Children’s of Alabama is naturally one of our favorites. Helping promote and support events that benefit young patients and their families who have to travel from the Gulf Coast to Birmingham for medical treatment of serious illnesses makes this work most rewarding. From Tee Off Fore a Cure to Barn Bash and Children’s Cup Regatta to the first-ever Reel Hope Classic Fishing Tournament, we were honored to be part of these events for Children’s which exceeded expectations for support and attendance.

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Celebrating Milestones

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2015 marks the 20th anniversary for Hargrove Engineers + Constructors. If there has ever been an entrepreneurial success story, this is it and we love having the opportunity to tell this story. From its humble beginnings in 1995 with two people and a big idea based out of a home office in Mobile, Alabama, Hargrove has grown to more than 1,150 team members in 11 locations throughout the U.S. Hargrove provides unparalleled service in engineering, procurement, construction management, and technical services in the industrial, commercial, and government sectors, and its mantra of “the Right People, in the Right Place, at the Right Time” results in collaborative partnerships with amazing results.

 

Bean-Counting Branding

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Accounting definitely doesn’t have to be boring, at least that is what we decided when we had the opportunity to work on this new brand for Hieronymus CPAs, a Mobile-based accounting firm led by father and son accountants Mark and Brooks Hieronymus. Hieronymus CPAs has built their business on the same values as JJPR – a focus on providing quality customer service to local companies, small and large, with the expertise of supersize firms, all while keeping family priority.

 

Branding the Eastern Shore

Representing the voice of all business on the Eastern Shore, the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce engaged us to help develop a new brand identity for the Chamber. After conducting primary and secondary research, we’ve developed a new brand for the organization as well as for their new investment program to communicate the Chamber’s identity as a service organization providing beneficial services to their members to promote business development. Additionally, the brand will help convey them as a flexible, dynamic organization promoting business, building community relationships, advocating on behalf of business, and advancing tourism and workforce development for our area. We can’t wait until they throw back the veil in early 2016 on the new brand.

 

Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation

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We love a meaty research project, and we were honored when the Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation approached us to help gain insight through primary, quantitative research to set priorities for the Foundation’s programming and best create messaging that resonates with its audiences for strategic planning and marketing efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

Innovation PortAL

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Our team worked with a group of visionary leaders to help develop the business plan for Innovation PortAL, a new business incubator and accelerator for the South Alabama region. We are currently working on the brand identity, so stay tuned for the reveal in 2016. In the meantime, you can learn a little more at this landing page we created at www.innovation-portal.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISC for Daphne

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We love when a big idea comes together, so we were pumped when the Daphne City Council approved the new Daphne Innovation and Science Complex (DISC), a 30-acre technology park that will offer high-end office space on the Eastern Shore ultimately drawing businesses that will bring thousands of high-paying jobs right here to our community. Helping build a brand identity and collateral materials to market DISC, we were excited to be part of what is anticipated to be a major catalyst for economic development in our area.

 

 

 

 

  

No Bodies Please

When two super-smart female entrepreneurs with healthcare credentials using every letter of the alphabet walk into your office to brand their new company, the first word that comes to mind might be intimidating. So we had to ask all the right questions and make sure we pinpointed exactly what they were looking for in their brand. Our favorite part of the kick off meeting was when they said “no bodies please” - we knew we were going to adore this client. We must have nailed it because this project for Specialized Therapy Services goes down in the books as the quickest decision ever on a branding project. These ladies know exactly what they want and we can’t wait to watch their business flourish.

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Put a Tent On It

Having called on our friends John and Brad and their amazing team over at Port City Rentals countless times for client events, the tables (and tents) were turned when they called on us to develop an all-new brand for Mobile's largest and oldest full-service tent and event rental company. We die for this new look we’re putting on this 40-year-old company, and we think you will too.

 

We have been tremendously blessed to work with every single client and every single project this past year, not just these 15. Each one is a collaboration and for that we are grateful to be part of sharing their products and services with the world. And we can’t wait to continue those collaborations in 2016. Happy New Year!

 

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WE’RE MAKING HONEY IN HERE

Posted by Jennifer Jenkins on Apr 1, 2015 2:37:00 PM

Today has been one of those crazy days, like most days – meetings, conference calls, pitching, designing, writing – you get the drift. But we were on a mission today, and that was to give our new blog a name.

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Even though we have been talking about it for a while and admiring many cleverly-named ramblings, we have procrastinated as usual on dedicating time to naming the blog and promoting ourselves (our clients are always priority one.)

We had some funny ones, some absolutely terrible ones, and then we stumbled onto something… Recently while our team was managing an event for a client, one of our amazing vendors fondly coined the JJPR team “The Honeycomb.”

As he put it, a bunch of blondes (and brunettes) buzzing around, making things happen, getting it done. But he was on to something – we really are worker bees buzzing around creating a “buzz” for our clients.

Then we stumbled onto this great quote – and knew it summed up who we are and what goes on behind the scenes at JJPR.

“When you hear buzz around the beehive, you know they’re making honey in there.” - Terrence Howard

And that is how “Buzzing About” was born.

 

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Topics: Alabama public relations, PR agency, JJPR agency, public relations