The Meridian Group picked up two Awards of Merit from the Virginia State PRSA Awards last week in Richmond. This adds to the three Pinnacle Awards won at the Hampton Roads Chapter the week prior.

Once again, our client STIHL was recognized for the Lithium-Ion product Launch and Meridian was awarded for their Independent We Stand cause marketing initiative which has recently topped over 56,000 pledges.

It’s one thing to have your client praise you for your work and very rewarding to have our peers recognize the efforts we put forth.

One of our award-winning programs will visit Virginia Beach this year when the STIHL Tour de Trees kicks off at STIHL headquarters on October 2nd. The ride will benefit the Tree Fund research which has raised over a half-million dollars since STIHL has come aboard as the title sponsor.

For more information check out www.stihltourdestrees.org.

On Wednesday night at the PRSA Hampton Roads Pinnacle Awards Gala, Meridian Group was honored with two Pinnacle awards for work on the campaigns, Independent We Stand and the STIHL Tour des Trees to benefit the TREE Fund!

Independent We Stand, a movement of independently-owned local businesses across the country dedicated to educating their communities about the importance — and the benefits — of ‘buying local’, won for Community Relations and STIHL Tour des Trees, a weeklong, 500-mile cycling event to benefit the TREE Fund won for Public Relations Programs: Special Events.

Congrats to the team! Also, wish us luck as we head to the 2011 PRSA Commonwealth Awards next week in Richmond!

Airlift Research Foundation, a national not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, dedicated to funding critical research for extremity injuries, has selected the Meridian Group to manage their public relations campaigns and raise awareness for their mission to improve the care of military and civilian survivors of traumatic injuries.

Airlift Research Foundation invests in the work of top clinical scientists, conducting critical research that restores lost limbs or limb function to those who are severely wounded. This is in response to a growing number of orthopedic limb injuries sustained during the wars to active duty military in Iraq and Afghanistan, but such research extends to civilian and peacetime needs as well.

 “Airlift Research Foundation has a proven history of funding incredible breakthroughs in trauma research,” said Terry Kelley, vice president of Meridian Group. “We look forward to elevating the awareness of their important work to a national audience.”

Meridian Group will work to expand awareness of Airlift Research Foundation and its experts, many of whom are national authorities on traumatic extremity research, in order to increase their fundraising and donor support.

Join Independent We Stand and enter to win a getaway to the locally-owned, independent Lago Mar Resort and Club! Just recommend your favorite locally-owned business for your chance to win a 3-day, 2-night stay for two at the fabulous Lago Mar Resort and Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The more times you recommend a business, the better chances you have of winning.

Click here to enter!

Meridian Group has been contracted by Hypertherm to handle their national public relations program. Hypertherm, headquartered in Hanover, N.H., is a  lead manufacturer of the world’s most advanced plasma cutting systems.

“Meridian Group’s success in gaining national media attention for their clients drew our attention,” said Michelle Avila, director of public relations of Hypertherm, which designs and produces plasma and laser cutting systems for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Their product line includes handheld and mechanized plasma systems and consumables, as well as CNC motion and height controls.

“We are incredibly proud to add Hypertherm to our client roster,” said Joseph Takach, CEO of Meridian Group. “They are a leader in their industry, and we look forward to bringing their products the recognition they deserve.”

For more information, visit http://hypertherm.com/

In case you haven’t seen the new Virginia Zoo ads, you may want to pay a little more attention the next time one jumps in front of you. Meridian Group just launched the Zoo’s new campaign for Asia – Trail of the Tiger which opened the second of April.

The creative effort put forth by Dave Watson and the creative team at Meridian literally covered the world. “Meridian Group approached Artists for Conservation with the idea of putting a “Call to Artist” out to their members. We received feedback from more than 60 artists from which we chose five based on their experience with the particular species of wildlife,” said Watson. “The response from the wildlife art community was amazing from the sheer numbers of those who wanted to help.”

The results can be seen in six individual pieces of art created to showcase the newest residents of Norfolk in the Asia – Trail of the Tiger exhibit. They include Malayan tigers, orangutans, gibbons, tapirs, rhino hornbills, and small-clawed otters. The campaign will be seen on billboards, Zoo marketing materials and newspaper advertisements. Also, prints of the six specially designed artwork will also be available within the Zoo gift shop as postcards and prints. Proceeds will go to non-profit organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation within Southeast Asia.

Meridian Group commissioned puppeteer Stephen Mushin of Melbourne, Australia to create a story utilizing tigers and orangutans. The agency’s creative team used the traditional form of shadow puppetry from Southeast Asia, “Wayang Kulit” as inspiration. Meridian also produced traditional gamelan music to accompany the spot. Elements for the TV and cinema ads were produced and shot in Melbourne. You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIrP3xxiJ28.

Make sure you visit the Virginia Zoo to see the new animals in action in one of the area’s greatest attractions. All the work is a salute to the workmanship of many companies in Hampton Roads.

Keep an eye out for wounded warriors at this weekend’s Final Four games and Monday night’s championship: Butler University donated tickets to both games to Wounded Warrior Project.

Thanks to Butler’s generosity, 16 warriors from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will have a chance to attend this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Meridian Group has worked with Wounded Warrior Project on their partnership with the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA) for several years – learn more about this great warrior opportunity in today’s USA Today “Campus Rivalry” post.

As we enter a new year, here are a few tips you might want to consider to improve your marketing effectiveness in 2011.

1) Stay true to your brand. Don’t allow short-lived trends or a dip in the economy to distract you from staying true to your brand and everything it stands for. If you are unsure of your brand’s core value or have others in your company taking it in another direction then gather the troops and get 100% buy-in before you invest the first dollar in marketing.

2) Focus on a single message. You cannot be all things to all people all the time. We are seeing marketers throwing everything including the proverbial kitchen sink at consumers to see what penetrates only to daze and confuse them into submission.

3) Get mobile. Smart phones are not a fad and if you are not accessible from a mobile device then your customers will find your competition – very quickly.

4) Listen. Listen. Listen. Your current and prospective customers are out there talking about you. Listen to what they are saying and create a dialogue with them. Social networks can be your friend. They can also be your enemy if you are not listening and responding appropriately.

5) PR baby! An investment in a strategically sound public relations plan will provide you more exposure than paid advertising program. But make sure they work in tandem by integrating all your messaging to sing the same tune. And it’s not just media relations, it’s community, industry and social relations as well.

6) Be bold. Don’t be afraid of doing something bold and different while staying true to your brand. “Purple Cows” get a lot more attention than the black and brown cows…so do pink llamas.

7) Shake it up. Shake up your media plan. If you have been using the same outlets with the same message for the past few years, mix it to reach new audiences who may have not even heard of you.

8) Go viral. Not every viral strategy takes off like a rocket but when they do they take on a life of their own. Don’t give up after one try. Keep at it but be willing to take some risk and look at all the possible scenarios before you blast into cyberspace.

9) Not dead yet. People are still consuming traditional media. Some old folks like me (52) still read traditional newspapers and magazines and we actually watch “live” television. It all depends on who your audience is.

10) Don’t quit. Fight through “the dip” as Seth Godin calls it. If you have a solid business plan and you’re willing to invest time, energy and dollars, you will see that on the other side of the mountain there is a sunny day.

11) Have fun! This is not brain surgery, it’s marketing. Happy New Year!

Joseph Takach, CEO

I was disappointed to read this morning that Havana Restaurant at Red Mill closed two weeks ago. This casual yet fine dining eatery was one of the best we had in Southern Virginia Beach. Obviously people just don’t think when they are making their purchasing decisions. Thousands drove past Havana every day on their way to Outback, Olive Garden and other national chains.

Please read the owners closing comments www.havanavb.com  then go to www.independentwestand.org  and think the next time you go to spend your hard earned money.

Taking a spin on popular reality TV shows we’ve launched The Roosevelt Hotels first ‘Meeting Planner Star’ contest.  Our goal is to create awareness in the meetings industry for the Roosevelt and to have some fun while doing so.

To house the contest Meridian Group and Launch created an engaging and user-friendly microsite. To enter, contestants fill out a quick profile and then go through steps to plan a mock meeting. They will choose from a variety of options (how about Dr. Ruth as your speaker or Street Vendors for your lunch meeting?) or enter their own all while staying under budget.  Once their meeting is crafted the next step is to get votes.  Contestants will share their meeting through social outlets including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to gain the most votes.  Once the contest is complete we will pull the top 10 meetings and the executives at The Roosevelt will choose the first ‘Meeting Planner Star.’

The best part? The winner truly gets the ‘star treatment’ in NYC.  Grand prize includes a weekend stay in the presidential suite at the hotel, limo ride to and from the airport, a meeting room named after the winner for 1 year and much more!

Show off your planning skills and enter today.