Central Park this September

When I read an article about Ken Burns’s upcoming PBS documentary on national parks, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” I was definitely interested in seeing the 12-hour, six-part documentary series. I have watched some of his other documentaries and think he does a fantastic job blending visual elements, personal experiences and concrete facts about his subjects that makes for an entertaining, interesting and educational series.

The National Parks

Of course, as a PR professional, what also caught my attention about the build-up to the actual series premiere was the fact that they executed a flawless, strategic campaign to talk directly to audiences who would most likely view and spread the word about the documentary, ultimately enhancing support for national parks.

Free screenings in Central Park and other areas, a partnership with the Sierra club, a contest inviting individuals to talk about their favorite national park with the winner receiving a trip to Yosemite, as well as a Facebook page that shares information on Ken Burns himself are all tactics that support the larger PR strategy.

Unfortunately, a lot of people, companies and agencies out there think that public relations equals one thing – a press release. And while press releases can keep media outlets and their audiences up-to-date on newsworthy items, it should never be the one and only tool in the box.

Liza and I are big believers of identifying the most appropriate public relations tactics to effectively tell a client’s story to the right audiences.

Kudo’s to Ken Burns’s team for doing it right.

Have you seen the documentary?  If so, where did you learn about it?  We want to know know what you think.

We are so excited to announce our newest employee, Mandy Copp, who has joined Full Circle Public Relations as an administrative assistant.

Her first official day was last Monday, and we look forward to her being on board as we support our clients’ communications programs with the highest level of service, as well as continue to grow our firm.

In addition to having wonderful organization skills, a great personality and an enthusiasm to working here that is contagious, she is an amateur photographer.

If you are familiar with the Greenville, S.C. area, you’ll know that we have a vibrant downtown area that includes a picturesque park with a waterfall that is part of the Reedy River. We hope to decorate our new space with her artwork of downtown Greenville in the future!

It feels really great to grow our team, as well as look forward to the future. Mandy, we are glad you are with us!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Full Circle Public Relations Opens Shop in Downtown Greenville

Greenville, S.C. – Sept. 4, 2009 – Business partners Liza Jones and Kim Banks, APR have opened Full Circle Public Relations in downtown Greenville, located on the first floor in the Innovate Building at 148 River Street.   The firm specializes in public relations strategy for clients, including media relations, grassroots marketing, social media guidance and crisis communications.

Prior to opening Full Circle PR, Jones and Banks operated as independent public relations practitioners in the area.  The two will combine their existing client partnerships as part of the new business agreement.

“I’ve known and worked with Kim for years, and we’ve long since had a plan to bring a progressive public relations firm into the region,” said Jones, president of Full Circle PR.  “We’re putting the relationship back into public relations, helping our clients connect with their target customer on a variety of different levels.”

Banks serves as the director of client services for Full Circle PR, while Jones oversees the new business strategy for the company.

Jones graduated magna cum laude from Clemson University with a bachelor of arts degree in Speech and Communications.  Banks received a bachelor of arts degree in Communications with a concentration in Journalism from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.   Both women are members of the Public Relations Society of America South Carolina chapter.

For more information about Full Circle PR, visit www.fullcirclepr.com, or call 864.672.9614.

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Here in the South, most of us operate on a slightly different calendar than the rest of the world.  There’s college football season, and then the months leading up to college football season.

Today marks the first game for most NCAA football teams around the country.  Walking around town, you can feel the excitement as fans prepare for tailgating parties and get ready for the season ahead.  Everyone knows: it’s game time.

As we announced earlier this week, Kim and I opened Full Circle Public Relations and are now officially moved in to our new office space.  We’ve been planning for months (if not years) for this to happen, and now it’s all become a reality for us. 

Full Circle is a labor of love.  As Kim and I plan our vision for our company’s future, we talk about what we want it to look and feel like, what type of employees will fit into our culture and what type of client partnerships we want to form.

And if you know Kim or me, you know we love to sit down and have one-on-one conversations with people and get to know their stories.   We want to share this blog space with you, as well, to share news about our firm, about our personal lives and discuss what’s going on in the world around us.

We hope you’ll take part in our conversation.  Or if you’re in downtown Greenville, stop in and see us.  We can’t wait to get to know you better.

So here’s to the start of a new season.  It’s game time, baby!