Behind the Scenes: Live Reveal of Great American Rail-Trail

Case Studies, Most Popular, newsroom news, video, video blog


D S Simon Media recently helped Rails-to-Trails Conservancy celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad using new technology to broadcast simultaneous events in multiple locations to create a live social media video feed.

 

Rails-to-Trails, an organization that develops easily accessible multipurpose public paths created from former railroad corridors, came with a challenge to use live video on social media to celebrate the reveal of the Great American Rail-Trail’s preferred route as part of the anniversary celebration. The event was broadcast live from Washington, DC, Columbus, Ohio, Three Forks, MT and near Mt. Rainer in Washington State.

 

With new wireless technology, D S Simon Media was able to take in the signals from each location where the control room team created a compelling online experience for their audience. It was part press conference, part public event, with key moments captured from each of the four cities to produce a historic video program where Rails-to-Trails could engage directly with all of their key constituents via the power of social media.

 

View the Full Live Broadcast on Facebook

More About Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Follow Rails-to-Trails:      

The Best Celebrity Brand Spokesperson to be Announced

spokeies news, video blog

New York, NY – Who’s your favorite brand spokesperson? For the first time in the PR industry, there’s an award for the best celebrity brand spokesperson, part of the 2019 SPOKEies® Awards.

 

If you are a PR pro or have a strong communications sense, you can nominate your favorite celebrity brand spokespeople—think Neil Patrick Harris, Tina Fey, or Shaquille O’Neal. Additionally, nominations can be submitted for the best individual to become famous through their work with a brand, such as Flo from Progressive, The Sprint Guy Paul, and Jan from Toyota.

 

Celebrities will join past winners representing brands such as PepsiCo, Allianz Global Assistance, Atlantic Health Systems and The Better Business Bureau among others. This year, awards will also be presented for the best Corporate, Non-Profit, Multicultural and Global Campaign spokespeople covering various industries.

 

Spokespeople will be judged based on their trust and authenticity, plus their ability to engage the audience and cogently communicate their organization’s messages. Winners will be announced in October, alongside the rest of the SPOKEies® categories.

 

Celebrity nominations can be emailed to stars@spokeies.com. Submissions should include the spokesperson’s name, the brand they’re associated with, a brief description of why they’re deserving and note if the individual submitting worked on the campaign. For other category submissions, please visit www.spokeies.com.

How the NY Times Views Business and Tech Coverage

newsroom news, PR Insights, video, video blog


Politics has been dominating the news cycle, especially since the 2016 election. In this final section of the Meet the Media forum, the Times’ approach to covering business and tech is reviewed. In the minds of some readers, the paper may primarily be associated political stories–the Times is working to change that.

Rebecca Blumenstein is Deputy Managing Editor of the New York Times, a post she assumed in 2019. Prior to that she was Deputy Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal, the highest-ranking woman to lead the paper’s news organization to date. She’s received numerous awards including overseeing the China team for the Wall Street Journal that won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 2007.

PRSA-NY hosted the event featuring Rebecca and moderated by Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media.

Discussion: Diversity and Inclusion in the Media

newsroom news, PR Insights, video, video blog


Outlets such as the New York Times strive for the best in journalism, and many understand that a diverse staff is an integral part of that goal. A Meet the Media event featured a discussion of diversity and inclusion overall, as well as at the paper.

Rebecca Blumenstein is Deputy Managing Editor of the New York Times, a post she assumed in 2019. Prior to that she was Deputy Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal, the highest-ranking woman to lead the paper’s news organization to date. She’s received numerous awards including overseeing the China team for the Wall Street Journal that won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 2007.

PRSA-NY hosted the event featuring Rebecca and moderated by Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media.

Times Deputy Editor’s Take on The Top News Stories of 2019

newsroom news, PR Insights, video, video blog


Being on top of news trends is vital for PR professionals. During the Meet the Media forum, a New York Times editor explained her thoughts on growing content areas at the paper, and what types of stories have increasing opportunities to be shared. She honed in on constantly developing topics, such as privacy issues, and how readers should expect more and more stories in this area over the next few years.

Rebecca Blumenstein is Deputy Managing Editor of the New York Times, a post she assumed in 2019. Prior to that she was Deputy Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal, the highest-ranking woman to lead the paper’s news organization to date. She’s received numerous awards including overseeing the China team for the Wall Street Journal that won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 2007.

PRSA-NY hosted the event featuring Rebecca and moderated by Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media.

What Is It Like to Be Deputy Managing Editor of the New York Times?

newsroom news, PR Insights, video, video blog


What is it like to work at the New York Times? How has the paper adapted to the digital age? At a Meet the Media forum, a Times editor shared her inside perspective to help PR people gain a better understanding of the renowned outlet and its approach to journalism.

Rebecca Blumenstein is Deputy Managing Editor of the New York Times, a post she assumed in 2019. Prior to that she was Deputy Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal, the highest-ranking woman to lead the paper’s news organization to date. She’s received numerous awards including overseeing the China team for the Wall Street Journal that won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 2007.

PRSA-NY hosted the event featuring Rebecca and moderated by Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media.

From Forbes: Three Things To Consider For Your Brand Anniversary Video Campaign

newsroom news

 

Brand anniversaries can be a powerful hook to grow your business and communicate about the future of your organization. When brands celebrate an anniversary, it’s a significant opportunity to not only look back but to look forward. Video is one of the most important tools to achieve messaging goals, yet many do not know where to begin and what common mistakes to avoid.

 

We help clients get media coverage of anniversary celebrations using video and help them understand the best practices for implementing this medium into their anniversary planning. You can read our full Forbes Article to learn more about the three keys brands should consider before starting their anniversary planning. These include aligning your campaign strategies, determining the types of videos you want to create, and maximizing your resources.

 

Click here to view the full Forbes Article

Inside Authentic Marketing With Racepoint Global CEO and Author Larry Weber

newsroom news, PR Insights, video, video blog


You may know Larry Weber as a successful entrepreneur, thought leader, and author, who founded several global marketing companies and is currently CEO at Racepoint Global. He joined us at the D S Simon Media office in New York to discuss key takeaways from his sixth and most recent book, Authentic Marketing. Authentic Marketing provides a new strategic framework that takes business, marketing and technology strategies out of their dated and effective silos and tightly integrates them around the central concept of corporate purpose. He was interviewed by Mike Bako, Director of Media and Content Strategy at D S Simon Media. During the interview, Larry discusses the importance of taking time to cultivate an authentic brand and the value of tying each piece of marketing to your company’s “story”.

Click here to purchase Larry’s new book: Authentic Marketing: How to Capture Hearts and Minds Through the Power of Purpose

Visit Racepoint Global’s website here.

It’s Not Fake News, It’s Local TV News

newsroom news, PR Insights, video, video blog


A recent Pew Research piece found that 41% of Americans say their preferred method of getting local news is from TV, outpacing the 15% who selected social media and 23% who selected websites or apps.

What does this mean? For starters: even if online news is convenient, it’s getting harder and harder for the public to trust it. The authenticity and familiarity of local news reporters has more viewers impressed. 81% of respondents believe the local news does fairly well or better at keeping them informed on the most important stories. So, whether you’re looking to share a news story with local markets or get your executive on TV, remember that Americans are listening closest to the local news stations.

The Joy of Missing Out – JOMO

Case Studies, newsroom news, video blog

 

The “Joy of Missing Out” is all about promoting healthy habits, such as taking breaks from social obligations and work appointments to catch up on sleep, exercise and time with family. Chris Heuisler, The Global Run Concierge for Westin Hotels and Dr. Kristen Knutson from the World Sleep Society partnered on a Satellite Media Tour to explain how their brands support JOMO.