Get In Touch

Tuesday night, the Neff Associates PR team attended the 45^th Annual Pepperpot & Achievement Awards, hosted by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. This prominent event is held each year to honor the area’s top public relations efforts. This year, Neff Associates is pleased to announce that we took home THREE Pepperpot Awards!

Our awards included the Pepperpot for excellence in Media Relations for Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop, as well as Single Social Media Platform for Geno’s Steaks’ Facebook, our PR team was more than thrilled to receive such coveted industry accolades. The night concluded with an even bigger honor as we were also awarded the final and most prestigious BEST in SHOW for the Chink’s Steaks’ rebrand!

We are incredibly grateful, not only for all of the recognition, but to also represent such an amazing list of clients. Thank you everyone for the continued support!

Kmart is in the midst of some pretty intense consumer backlash surrounding their new Joe Boxer commercial. Customers are speaking up and lashing out about its risqué nature. In sum, the men shake their booties to the song “Jingle Bells,” and the most literal interpretation of their actions is that the men’s testicles are creating the bell sounds.

Now Kmart has long been categorized as a ‘family’ brand, despite the fact that they have launched controversial ads before, i.e. ‘Ship My Pants.”

Personally, I saw humor in the commercial and applaud Kmart for having a little fun. BUT, I am not a Kmart shopper. Perhaps Kmart is not guilty of offensive advertising, but is guilty of not speaking to their audience?

As Gail Goodwin puts it on Kmart’s Facebook, “I saw your new Jingle Bells commercial last night on TV and am disgusted as I find it very offensive. I always regarded Kmart as a family department store. Therefore, I am disappointed in your decision to air such a filthy commercial and saddened that your wholesome image has taken a downward turn.”

What do you think, is the commercial too risqué for Kmart’s target audience? Or, just a playful take on spreading holiday cheer?

Can you believe it’s already time to plan your Thanksgiving menu? With Turkey Day just a mere two weeks away, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse wants to give you a holiday with no stress and more importantly, no mess.  Because who really wants to clean dishes while in a Thanksgiving food coma?

This year, Del Frisco’s is offering your favorite Thanksgiving sides to go, prepared and ready for you on Tuesday, November 26^th or on Thanksgiving Eve. All you have to do is decide which delicious sides you want and place your order beginning November 20^th  by calling or filling out an order form at the restaurant. Including Potatoes Au Gratin, Chateau Potatoes, Lobster Mac & Cheese and Spinach Supreme (the mother of all creamed spinach) these sides make the perfect accompaniment to your turkey.

You can even take the culinary credit on this one…don’t worry, we won’t tell!

With the growing popularity of social media as a news source, and the consumers’ desire for instantaneous information, we have to stop and question the industry – is the ‘exclusive’ still relevant? Are people still going out and purchasing a newspaper for the ‘big scoop?’

I know my journalist friends are probably feigning at these questions, but as a seasoned PR pro, I can’t help but question how sustainable the notion of exclusivity is in today’s media landscape.

So before you go throwing your favorite news outlet the first look, check out this list of pros and cons:

PROS:

• The exclusive is a strategic way of targeting high profile outlets/reporters who will only cover a story if no-one else is – and this runs true for some of Philadelphia’s most influential reporters, think The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Michael Klein or Karen Heller.
• Offering the exclusive is a strategic way to build a relationship with said reporter. And we all know that building a strong rapport with a high profile writer may help with future pitches.
• It is often possible to secure a more significant editorial piece by offering a publication or a writer the exclusive – versus a small mention in a round up or relevant column.

CONS:

• Perhaps exclusives have had their day? Think about it, with the ever-growing popularity of social media as a news source – anyone, even the client, can inadvertently break news before a journalist has had time to get the story approved by their editor. Is it even feasible for journalists to expect the exclusive with the viral nature of social media?  I’m just not sure.
• Putting all your eggs in one basket can often backfire in the event of breaking news. If a bigger, better, more-timely story comes along, there is always the risk that your story will get bumped.
• Is an exclusive in one publication more beneficial than numerous features in a variety of publications?

As the newsrooms shrink and the media landscape evolves, the future of the ‘exclusive’ is probably not dead. Yet. But what is becoming more and more important, is that as publicists, we must assess each PR initiative on a case by case basis AND adequately research the news source and writer before pitching away willy nilly!

In DEATH to the MASS PITCH, yours,

Kylie Flett

Do you love free food? Free Geno’s Steaks Cheesesteaks, that is. Geno’s Steaks is launching a biweekly social media competition on Facebook and Instagram. The cheesesteak mecca will post photos from their new outdoor advertising campaign, asking followers to guess the exact Philadelphia location of the ad. Each photo will use the hashtag, #TheRealThing and have @GenosSteaks tagged. Geno’s will then award one lucky (and correct) winner with a gift certificate for a free cheesesteak!

The competition begins this Saturday, November 9th and winners will be chosen that following Monday or Tuesday. Winners will be notified by Facebook or Instagram, and then will be asked to give a mailing address to receive a gift certificate via snail mail. Follow Geno’s Steaks on Facebook and Instagram, and start brushing up on your Philly geography, for a chance at a free cheesesteak!

If you have any questions about the competition or Geno’s Steaks’ social media, please do not hesitate to ask.

We weren’t kidding when we said that yesterday’s clues would be harder! Are you ready for day three?

David and Jenine’s final destination was a city that definitely was not built in a day. But more importantly, this is the city where David says he “Ate the best meal of his life.” A pasta dish made from paccheri noodles. But besides the delicious eats, David and Jenine paid visits to some of the most fascinating buildings in history and wished upon a famous fountain.

Take your guess by commenting on today’s Facebook post with #WhereIsDN. And remember, the winner will receive a bracelet straight from Europe that has been spotted on the stylish Beyonce and Princess Charlotte Casiraghi.

We will admit that we gave everyone an easy start with yesterday’s clues, but do you think you can guess where David and Jenine ventured off to after Paris? Here are your hints for today:

After Paris David and Jenine made their way to the second part of their trip. In this mysterious city they toured a gorgeous vineyard and sipped wine with the owner, who was also their private tour guide. Again, talk about VIP! They strolled the streets that were filled with beautiful art exhibits and even enjoyed a mouth-watering bistecca (we’ll let you figure out that translation) at a restaurant know for their meat. And of course we can’t forget about the delicious gelato!

Do you think you can guess the second city? Be the first to comment on today’s Facebook post, it’s still anyone’s game! Good luck…or should we say Buona fortuna!

Where in the world are David and Jenine Neff? For the next three days we will be posting pictures and clues about each of the three cities they visited. One post per city. The first person to accurately guess all three locations by commenting on each consecutive Facebook post along with #WhereIsDN will receive a European “must have” bracelet. These bracelets have been spotted on everyone from Beyonce to Princess Charlotte Casiraghi, so you better guess wisely!

Here are a few hints about the first part of their adventure:

David and Jenine began their journey in what is known as one of the most romantic destinations. Together they visited world-renowned artwork and took in all of the beautiful sights that this city has to offer. David was even able to get a VIP view of one of history’s leading ladies, because we all know that Mr. Neff can talk his way into anything!  Guess their location by commenting on this Facebook post and stay tuned for tomorrow’s clues! Good luck..or should we say Bonne chance!

Have you seen our company Founder/President? David was last seen wearing his Neff branded fanny pack (compliments of his wonderful staff). There’s no sign of any recent activity on his Opentable.com account and he hasn’t been spotted at an Eagles game lately. Even our friends at Geno’s, Del Frisco’s, REX 1516 and Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop are all a bit worried that he hasn’t stopped in for a meal in several weeks. This can only mean one thing. David Neff has  left the country.

Of course we are kidding because thanks to the power of wifi and e-mail we know David’s whereabouts. But all we’re going to tell you is that our boss and his lovely wife recently ventured across the world on the journey of a lifetime (they even brought us back some really awesome presents). Beginning tomorrow, we will post pictures from David and Jenine’s adventures, and we challenge you to guess their locations. Bonus points go to those who can name the dish (in the native language) of the food photos.

Think you have what it takes to find David and Jenine Neff?

A few years ago, something changed in the way we view media: Apple released the first generation of it’s now ubiquitous iPhone.  The internet instantly transformed from something you could only view from your desktop or laptop computers (or  for the few elite, in a horribly rendered 150 x 150px screen on your Blackberry) into a completely new medium where users had all the power.   Not only do websites in todays world have to be have beautiful graphics, sleek layouts, and intuitive navigation, but designers now how to answer these same questions from screen sizes as wide as 2560px all the way down to the smallest 320px smartphone.  So what’s a girl to do, you ask?

1.  Go Vertical:  As your screen size gets smaller, elements that make sense side by side on bigger screen sizes should stack on top of one another to maximize readability.
2. Prioritize content.  When screen space gets smaller, so should your content.  Get rid of extraneous sidebars, search forms, and asides so users won’t have to scroll through unnecessary content to get to their destination.
3. Rethink navigation:  Don’t squeeze the same kind of vertical or horizontal navigation you loved on your desktop site  into your mobile.  Try slide-aways, fold-outs, and drop-downs as a means of adding navigation without taking up your entire on-screen real estate.
4. Think Fast:  People will be using your mobile site when they are on the go.  Don’t make your users sit through long load times,  extraneous information, and long scrolling  before they find what they need on your site.  Keep things short and sweet, and use CSS to point to smaller images with shorter load times when a user is going mobile.