Company-Wide Service Project and Social Media Effort to Benefit Local Non-Profit

CINCINNATI – Feb. 18, 2010 – In recognition of Empower MediaMarketing’s founding in February, 1985, the media and marketing agency is taking an unconventional approach – giving back instead of looking back. The agency’s 160 employees are rolling up their sleeves for a 24-hour-long service project starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18 and ending at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19. The project taps into social media to make a larger impact.

Empower employees are taking shifts helping the Brighton Center in Northern Kentucky. The Brighton Center is a non-profit organization offering community support services through its Family Center, Bright Days Early Childhood Education Program, Homeward Bound Runaway Shelter, Two Rivers Senior Facility and Saratoga Place Senior Facility. The projects are being documented across several social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. All of the activity is being aggregated on Empower’s site to help tell the Brighton Center’s story.

“While we’re celebrating this milestone, our culture promotes sharing our skills, passion and resources with local organizations in need,” says Jim Price, Empower MediaMarketing President. “This is our way of showing gratitude for the support from the Cincinnati-area community over the last 25 years. It’s helped us become a successful, national agency.”

Offline and Online Support
Empower’s ultimate goal is to use social media to make sure their effort has an impact beyond one day.

“Our micro site is designed to increase advocacy for the Brighton Center,” says Price. “By increasing awareness through social media, our experience tells us that the Brighton Center will see additional volunteers and donations over time. It’s a well-deserving organization with a variety of needs.”

Empower clients and service partners are also supporting the effort, including donations from Hoover, Marco’s Pizza, Meijer, Michael’s and Rust-Oleum.

About Brighton Center
Last year Brighton Center served over 66,000 individuals and families through 41 different programs that support Northern Kentucky. The mission of Brighton Center, Inc. is to create opportunities for individuals and families to reach self-sufficiency through family support services, education and leadership throughout the communities of Northern Kentucky. Brighton Center will achieve this mission by creating an environment which rewards excellence and innovation, encourages mutual respect and maximizes resources. For more information, visit us online.

About Empower MediaMarketing
Empower MediaMarketing specializes in communicating to and with its clients’ consumers through an integrated combination of media. Empower’s services include media planning and buying, a full-service digital practice, word of mouth marketing, social media marketing, media marketing strategy and consulting, and a consumer insights group that offers consumer research, ROI analysis and several proprietary tools. For more information, visit us online or on Twitter.

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CINCINNATI, OH, Jan. 20, 2010 — Empower MediaMarketing announced today it has been named media agency of record for Hoover, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor in the floor care category owned by TTI Floor Care North America. Annual billings are estimated at $30 million by Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Brian Kirkendall, vice president of marketing for Hoover, said, “We chose Empower MediaMarketing based on the team’s extensive experience in the category and outstanding track record in the development and execution of national media strategies that get results.”

As media agency of record, Empower will handle all of Hoover’s media planning and buying, including national television, magazines and digital. Empower also will handle digital creative.

Jim Price, president of Empower MediaMarketing, said, “As Hoover implements its 2010 strategy, we are focused on helping them reinvigorate their iconic brand by leveraging their history and staying relevant to their customers as they reclaim their position in the category.”

About Hoover
From the first Hoover vacuum launched in 1907, to today’s new T-Series line of high-performance lightweight floor cleaners, the Hoover brand continues a tradition of innovation through a comprehensive line of floor care products, including lithium-ion battery powered cordless vacuums, full-size, bagged and cyclonic upright and canister vacuums, carpet cleaners, hard-floor cleaners and central vacuum systems. A part of the TTI Floor Care family, Hoover appliances and accessories are available at major retailers and independent dealers throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.Hoover.com.

About Empower MediaMarketing
Empower specializes in helping its clients communicate to and with consumers through an integrated combination of media. Empower’s services include Media Planning and Buying, a full-service Digital practice, Word of Mouth Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Media Marketing Strategy and consulting, and a Consumer Insights group that offers consumer research, ROI analysis and several proprietary tools. For more information, visit us online, read our latest thinking on our blog and follow us on Twitter.

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Three New Hires Bring Industry Experience, Informed Opinion to Established Word of Mouth Marketing Team

CINCINNATI, OH, Feb. 2, 2010– Empower MediaMarketing has increased its focus on social media with the addition of three new hires. Kevin Dugan, Michael E. Rubin and Taylor Wiegert have joined Empower within the last six months. They join Empower’s well-established and rapidly growing word of mouth marketing practice to enhance its social media services.

“Social media is a key competency within word of mouth marketing, said Empower’s Director of Word of Mouth Marketing Jessica George. “Social media allows us to deliver programs that fuel on- and offline brand discussions. The addition of Kevin, Michael and Taylor fortifies our full-service, integrated approach to social media and, as part of our word of mouth services, helps build our clients’ business and increase customer loyalty.”

Industry Veteran: Kevin Dugan is a nationally-recognized marketing expert that has been blogging since 2002. Both of his blogs, Strategic Public Relations and the Bad Pitch blog, are ranked by Advertising Age’s Power 150 Ranking of the world’s top marketing blogs. He also founded Cincinnati Social Media, a local networking group with more than 900 members and has been singled out in a variety of lists, including Alltop, as one to follow online. Dugan speaks nationally and has been a source on social media for national media, including CNN’s “Blogger Bunch” and The Associated Press. Dugan is on Twitter as @prblog.

Word of Mouth Expert: As one of the first employees of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and the Social Media Business Council, Michael Rubin helped Fortune 500 brands navigate the emerging field of social media. With more than ten years experience in marketing and public relations, Rubin has partnered with the world’s leading marketers and industry experts to develop social media and word of mouth into fully-realized, mainstream marketing disciplines. He also writes a column for MarketingProfs and is editor in chief of Social Study, Empower’s social media blog. Leadership Northern Kentucky recently asked Rubin to speak on social media to its 2009 class. He is on Twitter as @merubin.

Social Strategist: Taylor Wiegert is inspired to generate results for clients by developing and executing social media and marketing strategies and tactics. Wiegert immerses himself in the latest news across the fields of social media, interactive technology, online video and gaming to better educate clients and Empower colleagues. He was also recently chosen to present on the future of news by The Cincinnati Enquirer. Wiegert is on Twitter as @twiegert.

“Social media is fundamentally changing how brands connect with consumers,” says Empower MediaMarketing’s President, Jim Price. “Empower offers increasingly sophisticated, integrated strategies to our clients. A full spectrum of services, including a well-established social media practice, allows us to help clients better engage with customers through any and all media channels.”

The social media team has already conducted successful social marketing efforts for Long John Silver’s, Bush Brothers & Company, Meijer and the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. The new hires reside in the word of mouth marketing practice which uses a multi-disciplined approach that includes Digital Creative, Strategy, Search Marketing and Media as well as Consumer Insights and Out of Home.

Responding to Consumer Change and Client Needs
The increased investment in social media reflects an understanding that it’s increasingly important to engage with customers instead of simply communicating to them. The Empower social media team is uniquely positioned to help clients based on three key elements.

Proven Expertise and Social Media Project Experience: Empower has helped clients start using social media, augment existing programs, listen to key consumer segments and conduct outreach to key influencer groups to support specific business initiatives. They build on this experience using the latest tools everyday to do their jobs, backed by a deep bench of social media platform experts who focus on specific social sites to stay on top of changes, trends and the implications for clients.

Full-Service, Integrated Offering: From initial research, strategic planning and internal training to plan execution, measurement, ongoing monitoring and evaluation, Empower can handle any or all elements of a social marketing engagement or as part of a larger, integrated plan.

Paid and Earned Media: Social media is just one segment of Empower’s paid and earned media offering. Empower plans and buys media for National and Local TV, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers, Out of Home, Mobile, Online advertising and Search Marketing. Additionally, Empower’s Word of Mouth offering includes earned media services like social media and more experiential marketing efforts.

About Empower MediaMarketing
Empower specializes in helping its clients communicate to and with consumers through an integrated combination of media. Empower’s services include Media Planning and Buying, a full-service Digital practice, Word of Mouth Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Media Marketing Strategy and consulting, and a Consumer Insights group that offers consumer research, ROI analysis and several proprietary tools. For more information, visit us online, read our latest thinking on our blog and follow us on Twitter.

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CINCINNATI, Aug. 7, 2009– Jim Price, Empower MediaMarketing’s Vice President of Media Innovation, has been named to the Cincinnati Business Courier’s prestigious “Forty Under 40” list. The list, now in its 13th year, recognizes local professional and community leaders under the age of 40. Price, 32, was cited for his accomplishments in building Empower’s digital group – virtually from scratch –into a core service including creative, website development, search marketing and media planning & buying.

More on the “Forty Under 40” honor can be found at:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/08/10/story25.html

Company Veteran to Continue Client Focus

CINCINNATI – December 4, 2009 – Empower MediaMarketing has appointed James “Jim” W. Price II to the position of president. Price previously served as Vice President of Media Innovation, a division he created in 2006. Through Jim’s leadership, Empower MediaMarketing today offers a full array of services including Digital Strategy, Digital Media, Web Development, Digital Creative, Search and Analytics, Mobile, Word of Mouth Marketing and Social Media, in addition to all channels of traditional media.

Prior to Jim Price, the office of the President was held by a combined executive team including Price with Chief Operating Officer Lynne Veil and Chief Financial Officer Joseph Lowry.

“Jim Price has worked on every facet of Empower’s business and helped the company expand with new services,” says Bill Price, Empower MediaMarketing Chairman and CEO. “As we enter our 25th year of operation, his proven leadership and business acumen will ensure Empower continues to meet our clients’ needs during an unprecedented period of change in the media and marketing business.”

Jim Price is part of an executive management team that has navigated one of the toughest periods in advertising history, increasing company revenue and profitability. A ten-year veteran of Empower, he previously held roles with ABC Radio, Beyond Interactive and the Bush-Cheney ‘04 Campaign.

Jim Price was recently named a “40 Under 40” award recipient by The Cincinnati Business Courier. He is also an instrument-rated pilot and very active in the community, mentoring with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and serving on several non-profit boards.

About Empower MediaMarketing
Empower MediaMarketing specializes in communicating to and with its clients’ consumers through an integrated combination of media. Empower’s services include media planning and buying, a full-service digital practice, word of mouth marketing, social media marketing, media marketing strategy and consulting, and a consumer insights group that offers consumer research, ROI analysis and several proprietary tools. For more information, visit us online at www.empowermm.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/empowermm.

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CINCINNATI, Nov. 20, 2009—Empower MediaMarketing (http://www.empowermm.com) has been named the “Best Place to Work” among large companies (150-299 employees) in Greater Cincinnati by the Business Courier, a weekly publication serving the area’s business community.

The publication’s seventh annual competition was based on the results of anonymous surveys measuring employee engagement, how employees feel about management effectiveness and trust, and a variety of issues that research has shown creates better company results and profits. Empower received its honor recently from Courier publisher Douglas Bolton at an awards ceremony held at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

“This recognition is a great reflection of the high quality of people who work here and the results they generate for our clients,” said Lynne Veil, chief operating officer, Empower MediaMarketing. “Everyone knows this has been a challenging time for every business. A key reason we have been able to thrive in this environment is that the people who work here are happy, dedicated to their jobs and to serving our clients.”

More than a hundred firms entered this year’s competition, which honored winners in four categories based on the number of company employees. Each category recognized a first-time winner and a veteran winner. The latter – including Empower — were finalists or winners in past years. Empower previously was a finalist in the Large Company category. Lighthouse Youth Services was named first-time winner among Large Company entrants.

About Empower MediaMarketing
Empower MediaMarketing specializes in reaching its clients’ customers through paid and earned media channels. Empower’s services include media planning and buying, a full-service digital practice, word of mouth marketing, social media marketing, media marketing strategy and consulting, and a consumer insights group that offers consumer research, ROI analysis and several proprietary tools. For more information, visit us online at http://www.empowermm.com or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/empowermm.

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Social Marketing Director serves as national source on Twitter’s #pepsifail outrage

When Pepsi’s AMP Energy Drink released its iPhone app: “AMP Up Before You Score” it needed to stand out from more than 80,000 other iPhone apps. It is now standing out for the wrong reasons as the controversial nature of the application has driven national attention and outrage on Twitter.

Empower MediaMarketing Social Marketing Director Kevin Dugan published his opinion on the social media crisis and was sought out as a source by the Associated Press and CNN.

Dugan was quoted in the AP story and appeared on CNN’s “Blogger Bunch” segment, providing insight and analysis of the situation along with Mashable Editor in Chief, Adam Ostrow.

Empower MediaMarketing Study Compares Online and Offline Opinions of The Jay Leno Show

Cincinnati, Ohio – Sept. 24, 2009 – With week one in the can, the general opinion of The Jay Leno Show depends on the source. Nearly 74 percent of viewers watching during debut week give it a grade of A or B. However critics and Twitter users have reacted negatively. The findings were published in the study “The People Have Spoken: Comparing Opinions on The Jay Leno Show Across Traditional Media, Social Media and Viewers” by Empower MediaMarketing.

While Leno scored big in the ratings and public opinion for his premiere, mainstream media critics were not so kind. Reviews in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and USA Today all panned the show; many calling it a rehashed version of Leno’s The Tonight Show.

The premiere, featuring a much-hyped interview with Kanye West, helped propel ratings and buzz across social media platforms as thousands of online pundits weighed in. How do the sentiments expressed by traditional national media and American public opinion compare to social media?

No Love Lost Online for Leno
To discover this Empower commissioned a public opinion study of 1,000 adults 18 and older. Empower also utilized ChatterWatch℠, its proprietary social media analysis tool, to identify conversations about the show on blogs, message boards and Twitter. The study is available online for download.

Reviewing a sample of 500 tweets mentioning Leno during the first week of his show makes it clear that, for the most part, consumers on Twitter do not like The Jay Leno Show. While 18 percent of the sample offered an opinion of the show, 75 percent of the Twitter-based reviews were negative.

Almost 45 percent of Twitter messages were focused on Leno’s guests. Kanye West’s interview alone accounted for half of these tweets. Halle Berry denying pregnancy rumors (along with her short dress) had the twittersphere buzzing. Automaker Ford got a nice buzz boost from the show as well. Its Green Car Challenge race was an environmentalist favorite. Links to Drew Barrymore’s initial drive in Ford’s new electric vehicle was retweeted frequently.

High Level of Show Awareness
Whether you’re a Leno lover or hater, NBC’s multimillion-dollar promotional efforts behind the new 10 p.m. program seem to have worked. First night ratings for the show were the best for NBC in the time slot since November 2008. And after one week, 69 percent of adults were aware of Jay Leno’s move to primetime.

“The study shows how important it is to listen to the online space,” says Empower senior vice president of Consumer Insights Julie Pahutski. “We found a variety of conversations across media critics, consumer generated media and public opinion about the show—these days everyone has a voice. It’s a lesson to evaluate online and offline sentiment together, or marketers are only seeing half of the picture.”

The Future? Cautiously Optimistic
Regardless of the initial feedback, will viewers continue to watch the show? Sixty-five percent of adult viewers say they expect to watch the show at least twice a week in the future, while 27 percent of viewers say they expect to watch four or more shows a week.

But the long term success of The Jay Leno Show will be determined over the coming year through advertiser support. And as the most enthusiastic viewers for the show are adults 25 to 44-years-old, the group most coveted by advertisers, NBC’s strategy is launching The Jay Leno Show in the right direction.

About Empower’s Study
“The People Have Spoken: Comparing Online and Offline Opinions on The Jay Leno Show” is available online for download. The public opinion survey was conducted among 1,000 US adults ages 18 or older, and was commissioned by Empower. It was conducted online on Sept. 17 and 18, 2009. It reflects a proportionate mix of age, genders and regions across the United States. During The Jay Leno Show’s first week, Empower also monitored traditional media reviews for the show and used ChatterWatch℠ to collect conversations from blogs and message boards. Empower also analyzed a sampling of 500 Twitter messages to gauge discussion in the social media space.

About Empower MediaMarketing
Empower specializes in reaching its clients’ customers through paid and earned media channels. Empower’s services include media planning and buying, a full-service digital practice, word of mouth marketing, social media marketing, media marketing strategy and consulting, and a consumer insights group that offers consumer research, ROI analysis and several proprietary tools. For more information, visit us online and follow us on Twitter.

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CINCINNATI, Sept. 23, 2009—Empower MediaMarketing was named the winner of a Member’s Choice Award in the fourth annual Online Media, Marketing & Advertising (OMMA) award program to “honor those advertisers that push the potential of online advertising creative.” The award was presented at a ceremony in New York on Sept. 21 as part of the industry’s annual Advertising Week celebration.

The OMMA Member’s Choice Awards, run by OMMA parent Media Post, are voted on by marketing industry executives with a broad range of expertise. The award won by Empower and partner Undertone Networks was in the Integrated Online Campaigns category, for client Long John Silver’s launch of two new products—Baja Tacos and IceFlow Frozen Lemonade.

The campaign represented Long John Silver’s first online initiative. Its online ad enabled consumers to locate a nearby restaurant by plugging in a ZIP code, and to download a coupon for the new products. Both were sent to consumers’ mobile phones. During the campaign, more than a third of interested consumers opted to receive more communication from the brand.

About Empower MediaMarketing: Empower MediaMarketing specializes in reaching its clients’ customers through paid and earned media channels. Empower’s services include media planning and buying, a full-service digital practice, word of mouth marketing, social media marketing, media marketing strategy and consulting, and a consumer insights group that offers consumer research, ROI analysis and several proprietary tools. For more information, visit us online at http://www.empowermm.com or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/empowermm.