Wellons team, Author at Wellons Communications | Orlando PR Firm

Wellons welcomes a new member of the PR team

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Wellons team

headshots 009 We would like to welcome Cori Pope to the Wellons Communications team.

Cori is a veteran TV broadcaster from Texas who moved to Florida to pursue new career opportunities. As a PR Specialist, she will manage accounts for the hospitality, health, education and technology industries.

Prior to coming to Wellons Communications, Cori worked at the NBC affiliate in Midland, Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Texas Tech University.

Cori continues our commitment to hire former journalists to provide PR, media relations and content support for our nationwide clients. Her strong broadcast background and her work on the station’s website were key elements in bringing Cori onboard.

Welcome, Cori!

Tucson tragedy provides insights to solid media relations

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Wellons team

The series of press conferences after the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others at a congressional meet-and-greet over the weekend was a study in proper media relations and crisis communications.

Especially well done were the media briefings from the University Medical Center in Tucson . The doctors walked the fine line between giving the facts, but also respecting the privacy of the patients.

Business owners can learn a great deal about media relations by watching breaking news and how it is handled. The briefings handled key point of media relations very well, including:

Stick with the facts
Protect the business. In this case, the medical center protecting the privacy of the patients was masterfully done.
Answer the questions. In the press conference I viewed, never did the words “no comment” come from any spokesperson.
Well-briefed spokespeople. The spokespeople also kept control of the media by keeping the briefing to a limited number of questions.
Keep everyone informed. The hospitals and law enforcement agencies promised updates as events changed.
What is next? Each of the briefings ended with announcing the time of the next briefing so the media can plan schedules.

Briefing the media takes balance, but winning media friends starts with giving the facts of the story in a timely manner.

Tucson Tragedy Raises PR Issues for Many

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Wellons team

This weekend’s tragic shooting in Tucson is a reminder of why being prepared is so important in PR. Just like a fire station tries to prepare for any situation, so too should PR professionals.

Consider just some of the issues that came from this incident:

Sportsman’s Warehouse has to defend its position that Jared Lee Loughner passed his FBI background check before one of its employees sold him the gun that was used kill six people and injure 14 more.

Pima Community College has to determine if it did enough when Loughner was a student there, as classmates and at least one instructor were disturbed by his bizarre, threatening behavior.

Gun rights supporters must defend their stance that Arizona’s lenient gun laws are in the best interest of the public.

Gun opponents will ramp up their efforts at changing laws and swaying public opinion.

All political parties must examine their use of rhetoric and its possible impact on individuals and society.

Lawmakers must defend legislation under consideration that would expand a ban on symbolic threats from just the President to congress.

Congress will have to consider new levels of security for all its members, and how to deal with issues of extreme importance while one its own lies in a hospital bed fighting for her life.

These are just a handful of the societal issues that will be dealt with and an important reminder as to why you always plan for the best and prepare for the worst when it comes to PR.

Taking Risks

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Wellons team

I keep reading stories about Oprah Winfrey taking a risk because she’s starting her own cable network. In the back of my head I can’t help but say, “Come on!” When you’re worth billions of dollars it doesn’t meet my definition of taking a risk. Yes, there is a risk involved in launching your own cable network and stepping away from your record breaking talk show you’ve had for 25 years.

However, taking a risk as a small business person trying to make the right marketing decision will make the difference between whether the business wins or loses, whether their family gets food, and whether their employees can survive in a difficult time. I want to wish Oprah Winfrey all the best in her risk but my biggest concern is helping people who are actually taking bona fide risks, who have something to lose and something to gain. Their livelihood is truly at stake. Whether Oprah Winfrey’s cable network works or not I doubt her lifestyle will change dramatically. Whether a good entrepreneur’s investment wins or loses is a totally different matter.

At Wellons Communications, we work to develop communications, public relations and social media plans for people who do take risks and want to see real return on their investment. We understand what’s at stake.

Reputations can change in the blink of an eye

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Wellons team

Haywood branding blog image A week ago Mike Haywood had the reputation as a great young football coach with a very bright future. After all, he was the first choice to be the next football coach at the University of Pittsburg – a top program in the Big East Conference.

Now, Haywood’s professional career and personal life is in shambles. He was arrested in a domestic dispute and shortly thereafter fired from his prominent job before he even had a chance to coach his first practice – let alone his first game for Pittsburg.

What happened? The brand Mr. Haywood had built on the field did not match the actions he is accused of exhibiting off the field.

We must all keep in mind that carefully worded messages generated from high powered branding sessions pale in comparison to the living court of public opinion. The lessons businesses can take away from the actions of the now former Pitt football coach – brands are built by the everyday actions of every member of an organization.

The University of Pittsburg is back to square one with its football coach search and a little bit of its reputation of a quality athletic program has a been tarnished.

Having a brand statement, mission, vision and values are all extremely important. At Wellons Communications, we have helped craft these messages for ourselves and our clients. But the most important step is backing up your brand both on and off the field.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Wellons team

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

We at Wellons Communications would like to thank all of the other marketing firms around Florida for taking the holidays off. This week has been one of our best weeks of the year. The holidays are a great time to get stories placed because the media- both traditional and digital-are dying for news.

If your business has an evergreen story or a story that just might not make the cut during the busiest times, you should think about holiday time distributions. You won’t always get the biggest readership, but having that bird in the hand – a placement that will live on the internet and draw people back to your website at ANY time of year – is better than no media hit at all.

A news cycle does not take a holiday. A good PR firm should respect the news cycle and continue to work every angle, every day, in trying to help the clients get their message out.

The best holiday present you can give a business is not a card or peaches from Harry & David, but a hit that will drive business in the first quarter of the year and live on the Internet for weeks come. We had a bounty of placements ranging from USA Today, Today’s Show, front page of St. Pete Times, Home and Away Magazine, Creative Loafing and Green Car Report, just to name a few.

It has been a very happy holiday and we hope that you and your business have a very prosperous new year!

What is a press release worth?

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Wellons team

The value of a single press release varies. But like a good stock pick, a well written properly targeted press release often produces results. Wellons Communications is one of the few major public relations agencies in Orlando and Central Florida that offers project work on a single press release.

It is part of our commitment to serve new businesses, entrepreneurs and companies that might need a marketing push every once in a while.

A single press release can:

Properly optimized, press releases can provide online marketing support for your business. One of our clients recently received a request to bid on a major project because the company found their press release on the web.
A press release provides credibility. Do you know that people are more apt to read information in press rooms than other marketing material – even if it is your press release?
Press releases provide off page support to your web marketing progress. Another of our single press release users received more than 3,000 new hits to his website because of the press release.
Last, but not least – a press release can still deliver the baseline facts that journalists, bloggers and consumers are looking for when it comes to news. A business in Tampa used a single press to tell the community about their liquidation sale and they received coverage by nearly every media in town. The ROI on the press release was more than 30-1.

Remember, results do vary – but for the search engine boost, branding and awareness, a press release consistently pays nice returns.

To learn more about what press releases can do for your business, please feel free to give us a call at 407.339.0879.

VINYL FEVER ANNOUNCES CLOSING

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Wellons team

Everything for sale, including that Rolling Stones autographed guitar

TAMPA, FLA. — December 27, 2010 — The end of an era. After serving the Tampa Bay area for almost 30 years, Vinyl Fever, located at 4110 Henderson Blvd. in South Tampa, will close its doors at the end of February. Known for its knowledgeable staff and extensive, eclectic selection of new and used CDs, vinyl records and related merchandise, Vinyl Fever has drawn customers from across the state and beyond. Recently voted one of the Top 25 record stores in the country by Rolling Stone magazine, Vinyl Fever endured in no small part because its crew lives and breathes music, passionately providing customers with information and an experience they cannot get at other stores.

“It has been a great run,” says Owner/Manager Lee Wolfson. “We feel honored and fortunate to have lived such a long business life doing what we love. We would have liked to make it to 33 and 1/3 [years], but the combination of industry changes, a difficult economy, and the upcoming expiration of our lease has forced our hand.”

A CELEBRATION BEGINS

“We plan to celebrate and commemorate our 30 rocking years in Tampa. We’ll thank our customers and the community with blowout sales and special events, and hopefully leave everyone with great memories.”

Everything in the store will be sold, including the famous guitar autographed by the Rolling Stones that’s had a “Not for Sale” sign on it for years. For now, most items will be 30%-50% off.

THE BALLAD OF VINYL FEVER

As the independent music scene grew in the late 1970’s, two idealistic bohemians named Sam and Dave pooled their personal record collections, music knowledge, and a few hundred bucks to open Singing Dog Records in Columbus, Ohio. Through their store they met Mike, who managed a similar store in Cleveland. Mike had lived in Tampa, was eager to return, and helped open Vinyl Fever in 1981. A Tallahassee store soon followed.

Dave’s brother Lee followed in Dave’s footsteps. Starting out at Singing Dog, Lee transferred to Tallahassee in 1984 and took charge of all of the stores in 1987. Over time, Vinyl Fever Tampa split from its sister stores, still managed by Lee and an amazing crew of music aficionados.

LOCATION & STORE HOURS

Vinyl Fever Tampa, 4110 Henderson Blvd. (West of Dale Mabry), Tampa

Monday – Friday: 11am – 9pm

Saturday: 10am – 9pm

Sunday: Noon – 7pm

########

CONTACT:

Lee Wolfson

727-463-6531

Lee@vinylfevertampa.com

www.vinylfevertampa.com

Will Wellons

Wellons Communications

407-339-0879 office

407-462-2718 cell

Will@wellonscommunications.com

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Releases its Top 10 Strange Stories of 2010

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Wellons team

Headlines prove truth is stranger than fiction

ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 27, 2010) – Ripley’s Believe It or Not! searches the globe for the ultimate in unusual oddities, strange stories and terrific true tales. After reading and reviewing hundreds of stories from headlines around the world in 2010, the experts and weird-ologists at Ripley’s are releasing their Top 10 Strange Stories of 2010. They range from the bizarre to the unbelievable – but all are true!

Bearded Woman Finds Son: Vivian Wheeler was born with hypertrichosis (werewolf syndrome) and as a hermaphrodite (both male and female reproductive organs) and was told she couldn’t have children. But at 29, she gave birth to a boy, who was promptly taken away from her by her boyfriend and put up for adoption. In 2010, after years of searching, Richard Lorenc found his mother and they were re-united. Link

Ripley the Dog: The living, breathing big pile of fur found in a ditch in Houma, La., turned out to be a one-year-old poodle. As he was being shaved, the vet decided to name the pooch Ripley, because “Believe It or Not!, there is a dog under here.” The before and after photos garnered world-wide attention and less than 6 weeks after being discovered, Ripley was well enough to be adopted. Believe It or Not! Link

Longest High School Football Game Ever: A high-school football game in Texas turned into an endurance battle as Jacksonville beat Nacogdoches in 12 overtimes, 84-81, breaking the old record of nine extra frames. The game ended at 12:54 a.m., after the young boys battled for more than five hours. Link

Spray-on Clothes: Forget about all the medical breakthroughs in 2010, for surely it will become known as the year that scientists developed an instant, sprayable, non-woven fabric that can be sprayed onto a nude body to form clothes that not only cover, but can be taken off, washed, and worn again. Link

Deep Fried Beer: In a competition at the Texas State Fair, Mark Zable unveiled Fried Beer. In a patented process, he puts beer into a doughy pocket and deep fries it. The quick fry hardens the crust, but the beer remains a fully potent brew. Those who sampled it were carded! Link

Dead Body in a Car for 10 Months: Shortly after a homeless woman in California was befriended by a motorist, she died unexpectedly. The driver, not knowing what to do with the body, drove it around for 10 months, next to a box of baking soda to help negate the smell. The corpse was discovered by police who smelled the stench, looked in the car and saw a leg poking out from under a pile of clothes. Link

Man Shot in Head Finds out 5 Years Later: A man living in Germany walked around and functioned normally for five years without noticing he had been shot in the head. The .22 caliber bullet was found when the man went to the doctor to have what he thought was a cyst removed. All he could remember was that it probably happened in 2005 at a New Year’s Eve Party and that he was “very drunk.” Link

Dog Chews off Man’s Toe: DETROITA 48-year-old Michigan man credited his dog Kiko with saving his life by chewing off his diseased big toe as he lay passed out in a drunken daze. The terrier gnawed off his right big toe which turned out to be badly infected due to Type 2 Diabetes. The dog ate off the diseased tissue and left the rest untouched. Link

Woman Tries to be the Fattest: A 42-year old, mother of two wants to become the world’s heaviest living woman. Donna Simpson currently weighs more than 600 pounds and her desire is to top 1,000 pounds. She works as a model on a website called supersizedbombshells.com, where the curious pay to watch videos of her eating or walking. She spends nearly $750 per month in groceries for herself and admits that she is as hungry for attention as she is for the junk food she eats every day. Link

Cat Predicts Death: Oscar the cat lives at a nursing and rehabilitation center in Providence, R.I. He roams the halls, is generally unsociable, and spends little time with anyone who has more than a few hours to live. He rarely errs in his predictions and this year extended his predicting streak to 50. He senses death and cuddles with the elderly patients until they pass. Link

Media contact:

Tim O’Brien
VP Communications
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
Obrien@ripleys.com
Office- 615-646-7465
Cell – 615-496-5949

About Ripley Entertainment; Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 80-plus attractions in 11 countries. In addition to its 32 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Brings the Weird, Bizarre and Unbelievable to Korea

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Wellons team

Ripley’s 32^nd Believe It or Not! Attraction is Now Open in Korea

ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 28, 2010) – Ripley Entertainment Inc. continues its world-wide growth as it opened Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Jeju Island in Korea on Christmas Eve Day as the world’s 32^nd Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium.

“We are delighted to return to Korea with our Believe It or Not! brand, one that was very successful for years at the Everland Theme Park near Seoul,” said Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley Entertainment Inc. “Our Korean franchisee, Island Joy, under the direction of Ki Seok Park, has chosen a beautiful destination resort location on Jeju Island, a perfect site for a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium.” Park is also Chairman and CEO of Sigongtech, a publicly traded Korean corporation.

Located in the Jungmun Tourist Complex at Seogwipo city, Ripley’s Jeju Island Odditorium is constructed of eco-friendly and green materials and the exterior is built to be reminiscent of a robot. Inside the 14,000 sq. ft. attraction are a sculpture park, a secret garden and 12 themed galleries containing more than 600 exhibits, ranging from amazing and non-traditional artwork to historical items to bizarre artifacts.

Highlights include:

A hand-carved, fully-functional Cinderella’s carriage, complete with wooden horses
A replica of the James Bond “Goldfinger” car made from cardboard
The world’s biggest lock of Elvis Presley’s hair
A large piece of the fallen Berlin Wall
A prehistoric Mastodon skeleton
A giant redwood tree stump that measures 77 feet around.
Three of Ripley’s signature Jivaro Indians shrunken heads.

The museum features a large space gallery that includes Astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s space suit, a meteorite from Mars and a life-size model of a space capsule. There are also 32 wax figures in Ripley’s Jeju Island, the most in any Believe It or Not! museum.

For more on Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Jeju Island.

Visit Ripley’s Newsroom to download high resolution images.

Media contact:

Tim O’Brien
VP Communications
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
Obrien@ripleys.com
Office- 615-646-7465
Cell – 615-496-5949

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.