Buzzing About

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.

 

 

2. 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.

 

3. 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.

 

4. Business Where You Beach

As 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.

 

5. 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. 

               

 

6. Creating 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.

 

 

 

7. 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.

 

8. 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.

 

9. 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.

 

10. 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.)

 

11. 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.

 

12. 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.

 

13. 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.

 

14. 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.

 

15. Eventful Year for Children’s

                 

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.

 

16. 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. 

 

 

 

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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Somehow, it’s already spring. Not that we’re complaining – we are loving the warmer weather and longer hours of sunshine each day. With a new season comes many other new things, and the JJPR office is no exception. Here’s what we have been buzzing about this month.

 

Team Development

You may have already met our two new team members, Sarah Grube and Alison Leonard. Sarah took on the role of our new creative director and has been blowing us away since before she started. Judging by the rapid pace that she works and by how dialed in she is to all of our clients’ projects, it seems like she’s been here for years. Speaking of years, Alison is only just beginning her PR career, but as our new account coordinator, she is quickly turning her tremendous amount of potential into a polished and poised skill set.

  

 

Office Space

To accommodate our growing team, we’ve had to rearrange the office a bit. So, spring cleaning turned into spring redesigning, and we’re now enjoying the modified open-air set up.

 

 

Work, Work, Work

We recently cranked out two new websites, and we’re pumped to show off one of the finished products. Baldwin County Education Coalition came to us for help with media relations, various design and marketing projects, and (obviously) an updated website. Our goal was to keep it simple, but also full of the information their audience needs at their fingertips. Easy navigation was a must too.

 

 

 

 We were thrilled to be awarded the opportunity to work with Fuse Project on several of their ongoing projects, one of which is the third annual Dragon Boat Festival. Since 2014, Fuse Project’s Dragon Boat Festival has raised over $250,000 and with a goal of raising $225,000 this year, it will not disappoint! At the festival, participants race in a 40-foot-long Hong Kong style dragon boat. With 20 rowers paddling to the beat of their drummer located at the front of the boat, participants race for 250 meters. The festival is a family-friendly, alcohol-free event with food trucks, a petting zoo, a trackless train, a gyro gym, jumpies for children, pony rides, and all of the wonderful exhibits of the Battleship USS ALABAMA. There is truly something for everyone! So, what are you waiting for? Get a team together and sign up today!

 

Real Time Changes

It’s no secret by now that Instagram is updating the way they display their photo feed. Instead of seeing posts in reverse chronological order, you’ll see photos in the order that Instagram’s new algorithm thinks you’ll most appreciate.

If you missed it, we shared some of our favorite Instagram tips and tricks a few weeks back. It explains how to set up and receive notifications for users you follow whenever they post a new photo or video.

 

 

Feel free to set up notifications to see what we’re buzzing about throughout the month! And check out our how-to guide for social media strategizing that will make your clients (and boss) sing your praises.

 

 

We all love shortcuts for our social media apps that make our lives easier. So, we’ve put together a few of our favorite tips and tricks for Instagram.

If you’re really ready to gear up your social media plan, take a look at our social media marketing guide that lays out how to boost the number of leads your efforts are producing. It’s good stuff, and you can download it for free.

1. Preview other users’ pictures from their profile overview.
You may find yourself scrolling through other users’ timelines searching for a particular post. If they post a lot, you may have to scroll for a while – but we have a solution. Go to the user’s profile where you see all of their posts.

Scroll down through their pictures and hold your finger on an image; the image will enlarge without opening a new screen.

Let go and the image goes right back and you automatically return to the full profile.

You can also slide your finger up slightly and release to see the options to “Like,” “Comment” or “Send as Message.”

 

2. Reorganize the image filters and hide the ones you don't use.

We all know the black and white filters (Willow, Inkwell, Moon) make every picture an instant classic, and X-Pro II can make Snow White appear tan. Maybe you have a few Instagram photo filters that you always go to and some you always skip over. Well, to make life easier, you can hide those filters you never use and move the ones used most often to the front of the pack. Here’s how:

Start by selecting a photo to edit as if you were going to post it. Once you get to the filters page, slide all the way to the right until you see the “Manage” tab.

To move a filter, select the three lines to the left of the filter and drag it up or down. Just release when you have it where you want it.

To hide a filter, simply tap the check mark to the right of the filter.

     

 

3. Hide ads you don't want to see.

Instagram (somewhat) recently started showing ads to users based on their preferences – people you follow, posts you like, and even some of your information on Facebook (Instagram’s parent company).

Occasionally, you may see an ad that you find irrelevant. You now have the option to let Instagram know you don’t want to see that ad.

At the top right of the ad, tap the “Sponsored” tab. Select “Hide This.” 

On the next screen, you can give Instagram some feedback on why you don’t want to see it.

 

4. Receive notifications when your favorite people post.

Sometimes you may scroll for days without seeing a post from any of your close friends or favorite brands. That’s why we love this feature – you can select to receive notifications any time your favorite people post a new photo. Here’s how to turn on post notifications:

Go to that specific user’s profile and select a recent post. Tap on the three dots at the bottom right of the post, and select “Turn On Post Notifications.”

If you later decide you don’t want to receive notifications from that user, just repeat the same steps listed above.

 

5. Review all the photos you've liked.

Can’t find that recipe post from one of the culinary blogs you follow? Well, if you liked the photo they posted of that dish, just scroll over to your profile, select the “Options” icon and view the “Posts You’ve Liked.”

 

6. Send photos privately to your friends.

When we find a good book or a relevant news story, the easiest way to share it with our team is through a direct message. There’s two ways to do that, depending on whether it’s an existing photo or a new one.

• If the photo already exists on Instagram – whether you posted it or someone else - go to the photo, and tap the curved arrow icon below the photo. Select the users you’d like to send the picture to and include a little message if you’d like. 

• If it’s a new photo, upload it as if you were going to post it. Go through the steps you normally would and when you get to the last step where you tag and write a comment, select “Direct” at the top of the screen. You can then choose the users you want to receive the message and hit “Send to Group.”

To access your direct messages in the future, just toggle to the mailbox icon in the top right corner of your main feed.

 

7. Remove photos that are tagged on your map.

So, when we first discovered this feature, we were a bit creeped out. Go to your profile and select the location pin above all of your posts.

A map will open with groups of photos tagged according to your location when you posted each one. You can zoom in and see each specific location of each individual picture. 

(See why we were creeped out now?)

To remove the location data from one or several photos, tap the “Edit” tab in the top right of the screen. The numbers by each group of pictures will turn green. 

You can then tap on any grouping and select “Edit” from the menu that appears. From there, you can choose to “Deselect all” or select individual images to remove the location data.

Select “Done” and then “Confirm” in the pop-up window that appears. And, boom. The location data will be removed from those photos permanently.

(Note – this also removes the geotag you may have included when you initially posted the picture.)

Also, as of this week, Instagram users can switch between multiple accounts without the hassle of logging out and logging back in to another account. For people managing small business accounts or client accounts in addition to their personal profiles, this will save a good bit of time. Visit Instagram’s website for instructions on how to set up additional accounts.

 

 

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.

 

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.

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. 

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

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. 

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.

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Laissez les bons temps rouler!