Interesting Things – Page 2

January 22, 2015

[caption id="attachment_3011" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jim Carey talks "Dancing With Big Data"[/caption] What do marketing, sales, finance, and IT professionals have in common? Apparently, we’re all really confused about big data. More specifically, how to use the vast amounts of data we have at our fingertips. By (Wikipedia) definition, big data is “any collection of data sets so large or complex that it becomes difficult to process them using traditional data processing applications.” I had trouble processing that sentence. Undoubtedly, big data is a pain point for most professionals; many have made it their personal mission to wrangle the beast. Jim Carey, adjunct professor at Northwestern University Medill IMC, is one marketer with such an attempt. Carey, who specializes in data mining for B2B and B2C companies, led recent BMA Breakfast Seminar “Dancing With Big Data,” where he shared his insights and findings on what makes big data so…big, based on interviews with leading marketers and industry pros. Here’s...

January 16, 2015

in Blog, Interesting Things, Business Marketing Association, Career Thoughts

by Amanda Pollard

Lemonade Stands & Business Acumen at BMA Chicago

Did you ever have a lemonade stand as a kid? As it turns out, that early business experience can help you succeed in your career as a communications professional. As I learned at yesterday’s BMA Chicago luncheon with DePaul professors Ron Culp and Matt Ragas, having business acumen is one of the top criteria needed to be a successful marketing/communications pro. Ron and Matt discussed how in order to earn—and keep—a seat at the table and maximize your full value, communicators need to be able to speak the language and understand business goals, issues and trends. The problem is that most communicators don't hold an MBA and didn't study business in college. Ron and Matt offered the following tips to help you develop greater business acumen: Understand Your Company’s Business Model. Transparency is key here. Make sure everyone on your team understands what drives your business. How does your company and clients make...

October 28, 2014

in Blog, Brand Communications, Interesting Things, Events

by George Rafeedie

“The story is everything.”

Without a doubt, one of the high points of Content Marketing World 2014 was Kevin Spacey's closing keynote. Storytelling was at the heart of his address, and he challenged all content marketers to tell better stories. During his presentation, he talked about the three important elements of storytelling: conflict, authenticity and audience. Watch this video of keynote highlights for more words of wisdom from Kevin Spacey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJnP2wsgnoA&feature=youtu.be...

July 1, 2014

in Blog, Interesting Things, Tell Your Story News

by Annie Beard

Tell Your Story Moves Into Historic Civic Opera House

The Tell Your Story office has moved, and we love our new location! In February, we relocated to the historic Civic Opera House at 20 N. Wacker. Built in 1929, it’s home to the second-largest opera auditorium in North America and is considered one of the world’s most beautiful. Within this remarkable space, we work out of the Central Coast office, a dynamic and creative environment that keeps us inspired. Not to mention, the office is located on the 33rd floor, which offers hard-to-beat views of the city. The building also includes an outdoor deck attached to the back of the building, right along the river. It is perfect for lunch on a nice day or even as an extra working space if we want to get out of the office and enjoy the warm weather. We are excited to continue working out of such a historic building and innovative office space! ...

June 27, 2014

in Blog, Interesting Things, Tell Your Story News

by Annie Beard

A Word from our Intern

Hi, everyone, Annie Beard here! I am a Senior Strategic Communication major at Ohio University, and I am interning with Tell Your Story this summer. I met George while he was spending time at Ohio U. as the Visiting Professional of Public Relations at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. After a few weeks of follow-up emails and calls, I found myself in Chicago working alongside the amazing Tell Your Story team! It has been great so far, and I have already learned so much from these PR Pros. I have gotten a lot of hands-on experience with social media, blog writing, competitive audits, press releases and writing content for newsletters—basically everything that a PR nerd, like myself, could hope for! I have also been working closely with George on CoWorkers, the co-working space he co-founded. (That’s a lot of co’s). It has been a lot of fun getting to know...

June 27, 2014

in Blog, Interesting Things, Tell Your Story News

by Annie Beard

Tell Your Story Staffing Up to Tell More Stories

In recent months, Tell Your Story has welcomed two new team members - Ellen DePodesta and Erin Neal. We can’t be more excited to have their expertise complement what we’re up to at Tell Your Story. And our clients agree. Ellen DePodesta Ellen has more than 20 years of experience in the B2B PR and marketing world with agencies in Chicago, Los Angeles and Cincinnati.From this experience and her work with heaps of clients, she has plenty to show for it. She has placed client stories in dozens of top-tier media outlets and news websites, and her clients have presented at national and global conferences and received honors and awards in workplace environment, business ethics, marketing campaigns and product innovation. Ellen has earned APR professional accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America, following in her parents’ footsteps, both accredited members of PRSA. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism...

May 19, 2014

in Blog, Brand Communications, Social PR News, Interesting Things, Events, Tell Your Story News

by Nicole Benzer

Seen and Heard at Digital Megaphone’s 6th Annual Social Media Masters Summit

#ICYMI #smms14 was a trending topic yesterday on Twitter. Not surprising when 150 social media masters conglomerate in one room, but it certainly speaks to the power of sharing engaging content. I was able to attend the 6th Annual Social Media Masters Summit hosted by Digital Megaphone in Chicago on May 15. The event hosted some of the best and brightest talent in the social world, with CMOs and social directors from brands like @Clorox, @BuzzFeed, @Threadless, @United, @ConAgraFoods, @Arbys, and @VanityFair, to name a few. If you want a marketing career that keeps you on your toes, social media is the route to go. The always-changing, never-static socialsphere is ripe with learning opportunities and challenges. It can be hard to keep up at times, but nothing beats the feeling that comes from seeing your social media campaign take flight. Speaking of learning opportunities, here are my key takeaways from the summit. 1. “Content...

March 25, 2014

in Interesting Things, Career Thoughts, Tell Your Story News

by George Rafeedie

Visiting Professional for the Week

[caption id="attachment_1843" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Jerry Sloan & George Rafeedie[/caption] This week I am the Jerry Sloan Visiting Professional of Public Relations at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. What an honor – and incredibly surreal. He was my advisor and professor when I attended OU in the early 1990s. I've loved keeping in touch with him since and am proud to serve in a teaching capacity this week in his name. Not only is Jerry Sloan a mentor to me professionally, but personally, since the day I met him, he has been a role model. He cares about his students, alum, his former colleagues and especially his family in a way that has been inspiring to me. Also inspiring, even to this day, are memories of lectures that made vivid imprints on our brains that helped us visualize what we could achieve in this great world of public relations and marketing...

January 28, 2014

in Blog, Interesting Things, Career Thoughts

by Angi Day

6 Habits of Great Connectors

We all know that networking is a key factor to success, whether you're a recent grad or someone with years of experience. But there's more to it than collecting business cards. At its heart, networking is about connecting on a personal level and building relationships, but in a room full of strangers that may not always be easy. That's why we love this Inc article that discusses six simple - but very effective - habits of the best networkers, starting with something as easy as "smile." Read more here: Read the source article at inc.com...

Just Use a Pencil: Knowing How to Apply Big Data

Lemonade Stands & Business Acumen at BMA Chicago

“The story is everything.”

Tell Your Story Moves Into Historic Civic Opera House

6 Habits of Great Connectors

Contact

Follow Us