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The Seasons Are Changing: What to look out for in the fall TV lineup

The calm before the storm has come to an end. The networks have announced their new and renewed shows for their upcoming fall schedule.

The Internet eagerly awaits in anticipation of their soon-to-be new favorite shows.  

“Supergirl”, which will air on CBS in November, is currently one of fall’s most eagerly anticipated new shows. A week after the trailer was released; it gained 10 million views, which eclipsed the total views, of all the other CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox upfront trailers combined. The airing of “Supergirl” will be the first time CBS has not aired a comedy show on Monday night since 1949. “Supergirl” will also be the network’s first superhero series since the 1990s show, “The Flash”.

Despite the lag of joining in on the superhero war, which ABC, Fox and The CW are currently battling in, things look prosperous for CBS with the release of “Supergirl”.

For two years in a row, the network with the top ratings for the key demographic of adults 18 to 49 is NBC.

NBC doesn’t have a comic book show on their schedule but they are throwing their own show in the mix. “Heroes” is coming back from the grave with a new title, “Heroes Reborn”. This highly anticipated 13-episode series will reconnect with the basic elements of the show’s first season. The show will continue the story line of ordinary people waking up to the fact that they have extraordinary abilities. The 15-second teaser that was aired during the Super Bowl did not give away much other than some familiar and new cast faces.

On Tuesday nights this fall, Fox and ABC will be going head-to-head with new comedy shows “Grandfathered” (Fox) and “The Muppets” (ABC).

“Grandfathered”, with its lead actor John Stamos, should pull a large audience due to “Full House” nostalgia, but “The Muppets” might be the winner. The change from variety shows to spoof mockumentary should make the show something that the current generations can call their own. The Muppets already have a large younger viewership due to the recent cinema reboot.

With the release of the TV show, Kermit, Miss Piggy and Fozzie are not going away anytime soon.

“Blindspot”, NBC’s Monday night thriller, is gaining a substantial following as well.

The show centers on Jane Doe who is discovered naked in Times Square. Doe is completely covered in mysterious, intricate tattoos with no memory of who she is or how she got there. The only clues to who she is and what happened to her are hidden in the tattoos, which she was given. Over the course of the season, not only are the meanings behind her tattoos uncovered but also who she was in her previous life becomes uncovered as well.

Finally, be on the lookout for “Code Black” (CBS) and “The Catch” (ABC).

“Code Black” is inspired by the documentary that shares its name. The show is set in the busiest and most notorious ER in the nation, LA County Hospital. The extraordinary staff confronts a broken system in order to protect their ideals and the patients who need them the most.

Joining ABC this fall by Shondaland’s Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers is “The Catch”. It will be the mid-season replacement for “How To Get Away With Murder” and will round off ABC’s self-branded TGIT. The show centers on Alice Martin, a fraud investigator who becomes a victim of fraud herself because of her fiancé. In the similar style to Shonda Rhimes’ other TGIT show, each episode will center around a new case but will also progress the overall fraud conducted by the fiancé.

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5 Tips for Better Phone Pitches

By: Sonia Blumstein, PR Account Supervisor

This article was originally published on www.prdaily.com

Phone pitches: Love them or hate them, they’re necessary.

If you love your phone, read no further; if you hate your phone, this article is written for you, with love, from someone who knows how you feel. When I first started in PR, I landed a dream job. Instantly, I was pitching national news outlets and simultaneously learning the practical skills professors don’t teach you in college.

One lesson I picked up on quickly is that you’ve simply got to get used to being in the sales business if you want a great public relations career. You’ve got to get good at it, because traditional PR has always involved cold calling.

Once you’ve spent time crafting your messaging and writing and distributing your release, you can’t just stop and wait for your phone to ring. If you do, you might just miss your greatest placement.

Overcoming a fear of picking up the phone comes with practice, but practice only makes perfect if you’re practicing the right way. 

During my 15 years in the profession, I’ve made countless phone pitches. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way:

1. Whether to "wing it" shouldn’t even be a question. I’m a planner by nature, but even if you’re not, don’t wing your phone pitch. Take the time to write, rewrite and write your pitch again, if needed. You don’t have time for filler words, pauses and unnecessary points when you’ve got only about 30 seconds to sell a reporter on your story. Practice your pitch out loud and multiple times before you ever pick up the phone. This builds confidence and helps your pitch flow. Even if the reporter doesn’t pick up your story this time, a polished pitch can help you get your foot in the door the next time. After all, the phone is just another tool to build a relationship. 2. Parts of a pitch: A breakdown so you won’t have one. Every pitch should include three sections: an introduction, the message and a closing. It might sound a little like a speech tactic, but it works.

The Intro should include your name, your company name and your phone number.

If you’re working for an agency and representing a company, make sure to use the client’s name, not the agency name. For example, I work for Intermark Group Public Relations. My intro might go as follows: “Hi, this is Sonia Blumstein with [CLIENT NAME.] My number is XXX-XXX-XXXX.”

This approach is perfect if you’re leaving a voice message, which is more often than not what you’ll be doing. But on the rarer occasion when a reporter answers his or her phone, take a slightly altered and courteous approach:

Your name

Your company or client name

Temperature check

Check to see if the reporter has time to talk to you. Perhaps you called when the reporter is on deadline. Perhaps the reporter wants to talk to you, but it just isn’t a good time. You won’t know unless you ask. Try this script, for example:

Hi, this is [your name] with [company/client name]. I’m calling to follow up on [abbreviated story topic] or [a release I sent you earlier today]. [Did I catch you at a good time?] or [Do you have a quick minute to talk?]

If the answer is “no,” follow up by asking if there is a better time to call back. If the reporter gives you the run-around, say you’ll call back at a later time.

Once you finish your intro, briefly share your story idea in 30 seconds or less.

Assuming you’re leaving a voice mail, close by repeating your phone number so the reporter can easily jot it down without having to replay your message. [RELATED: Tell the stories that touch people's hearts—and inspire action.]

3. Get your numbers straight. PR professionals joke that we are in the communications business, not the numbers business. But there are two sets of numbers to be mindful of when planning phone pitches: the 12 numbers on a clock and the seven days of the week.

Reporters work on different deadlines. To the best of your ability, don’t call them when they are on deadline. A few guidelines:

Don’t call daily print reporters after 2 p.m. in their time zone. They’re working to finish up their stories before they hit the door.

Don’t call TV or radio shows while they are on the air. Call them right after their show is over, when they are working on booking the next program. You might only have one or two hours to reach them. Know which hours those are and plan ahead.

Don’t call a weekly outlet on the one day of the week the publication is wrapping up and going to print.

Don’t call a magazine about a story that has passed its editorial calendar due date.

Don’t call on Fridays, especially daily news outlets.

Do call a reporter if you have breaking news. It’s the one exception to the rule.

4. Double as a customer-support agent. By the time you’re calling a reporter, you’ve likely already sent your email release, but chances are your release is buried in the reporter’s inbox.

Before you pick up the phone, open your original email. Have it at the ready to forward immediately. If the reporter can’t find your release, you’re one step ahead and can send it right then. Sometimes the reporter will even wait on the phone to confirm receipt.

Score. You’ve just increased your chances to get that reporter to read your release, which is the first step to getting your placement.

5. Save your voice, your time and theirs. If you know you’re going to include a phone call campaign, you might avoid at least a few calls by giving the reporter a heads up. In your email pitch, tell the reporter you plan to follow up via phone.

If the reporter knows you are going to call, maybe she will reply to your e-mail before you pick up the phone. Who doesn’t want that?

These are the strategies I’ve used to land placement in the top print and broadcast publications across the country. What tricks do you have up your sleeve?

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Tailoring Your Twitter Strategy with Twitter Analytics

(image from: www.twitter.com)

Not too long ago a really exciting thing happened to make a social media analyst’s dreams come true. Twitter finally opened up its analytics dashboard to all users.

No longer do social media marketers have to dwell on the number of favorites, retweets or mentions; but we now have a whole new set of numbers that can give all new insight into what is really going on in the Twitter-verse.

What numbers can you now see in Twitter Analytics?

In my opinion, one of the best parts of the new analytics is being able to look at a summary of each month at a glance. Not only can you see your number of tweets, tweet impressions, profile visits, mentions and new followers for that month, but it showcases your top tweet, top mention, top follower, and top media tweet.

How can you use this showcased information?

Twitter features your top tweet, top mention, top follower and top media tweet of each month, not because they think it’s “cool” information, but because it’s the most important.

Top Tweet: This tweet received the highest number of impressions. You want to do more tweets with similar content in order to get more impressions.

Top media Tweet: This tweet that contains either a photo, video or Vine, received the highest number of impressions. This tweet can tell you what kinds of photos or videos your audience is more interested in, and again, aim to tweet similar content.

Top mention: Tweet, either by you or another account that mentioned you and received the highest number of impressions.

Top follower: Account with the highest follower count that followed you that particular month. These are going to be the more influential people following your account, and therefore, ones you may want to start interacting with.

Not only can you learn more about your tweets, but also about your followers.

Every marketer wants to know if they’re reaching the right people. For example, your brand is only sold in the southeast, but most of your followers are in California. That doesn’t do you very much good does it? You can see the top cities where your followers are located, and also what their interest are, which can help you tweet more of the content that they’re likely to engage in.

Twitter analytics is a simple way to enhance branding efforts due to the measurements it provides and the capabilities it offers to easily boost your impact within the platform.

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Intermark 2015 Football Kick Off Party

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Type Talks

By: Lauren Barnett, Art Director

A brand’s typeface. It’s a part of how a person reads your brand voice when you’re not in the room. It gives your words a personality. And it can be as important as what you’re saying about your brand. Below are a few mini-stories to consider when selecting your brand’s typeface. So grab a cup o’ joe (or in my case, wine) and enjoy.

To each its own

A farmer sells fresh eggs from his chickens every morning. He doesn’t have any money for advertising but he makes himself a simple, hand-painted sign from black paint and a piece of cardboard he found in his shed. He puts the sign outside of his farm every morning. It reads, “Fresh eggs, $2 a dozen.” A young man buys eggs from him every day and sees how successful this authentic, hand-painted sign is for the farmer. He decides that if this sign works so well for the farmer’s business, surely it will work for his business too. So, the young man goes out and buys black paint and a piece of cardboard. He makes his hand-painted sign just like the farmer did. He puts the sign outside of his house just like the farmer did. The sign reads, “Flight lessons, $20.”

Moral of the story: When it comes to selecting a typeface and art direction for your brand, what works for some may not always work for yours.

Do it wrong on purpose

There are instances where brands are being ironic and intentionally mismatch the typeface to what the copy is saying to heighten the level of comedy or make a point. The perfect example would be Uni-ball’s campaign “Write it in your own voice,” where they illustrated how using the wrong typeface can change the voice of a written letter, even in the most inappropriate situations. For example, in their “Swapped At Birth” spot, a young girl reads a letter written in the font Broadway that she will be moving to live with her real parents who are actually pig farmers. She’s reading the news in her head but it is literally voiced over in a singing Broadway style. The juxtaposition of the typeface to the content of the letter is not only hilarious but also reminds us that a typeface is important in regard to your brand personality and what you are saying.

Stand out in the category

While it’s important to use the right typeface for your brand and its personality, you also need to stand out in your category. Using a typeface that hasn’t been used in your category works when tied with a bold, new campaign. When done right, the combination can be gold. For reference, a brand that came out with a new campaign and a new look and feel a few years ago that was a game changer for their category was the Levi's “Go Forth” campaign. Not only did the very distinct voice of the campaign, Walt Whitman, break them away from other brands in the category, but also the typeface was equally powerful and different. The hand-painted, messy and bold typeface spoke to the new attitude of the brand refresh. It was something that hadn't been used in the category before and especially for an older brand like Levi’s. The brand that had once represented what America was, was now reshaping what America is today through their campaign. They stood out. They found their new voice and look. And their refreshed brand personality gained an entirely new following.

Now that you know a little more about what goes into choosing a typeface for a brand, I hope you have finished your beverage of choice and are still awake after reading this. In that order. Until next time, friends.

And if you’re still reading, here is a ‘lil’ something extra: http://urbantypeexperiment.tumblr.com/

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Have You Thought About Google AdWords for Your Company?

By: Halley Smith, Digital Media Assistant

Clients often want to know how to appear higher on a Google search, and the answer can get complicated.

The long answer incorporates constantly changing Google algorithms and advanced Search Engine Optimization to incorporate relevance into your search position.

The short answer? Pay for it.

Every day at Intermark, the media department juggles dozens of different Adwords search campaigns for clients who have recognized the importance of placing native ads exactly where potential customers are already looking. Some budgets are big, others are small, but each one receives the same care and attention to detail.

With Adwords, campaigns can constantly be updated to better reflect client concerns and promotions. The “Do-It-Yourself” type of platform allows agencies to have more control over every aspect of the campaigns and immediate insight into what works and what doesn’t.

The Adwords platform, Google’s main source of revenue, is one of the most accessible and helpful advertising platforms. It is definitely worth every penny!

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Employee Spotlight: Lindsey Seal, Account Supervisor and PR Guru

Lindsey Seal is an account supervisor in the account service department, working with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. We decided it might be fun to sit down with Lindsey and learn a little bit more about what makes her tick. Here is what she had to say:

Q: What is your role at Intermark Group?

A: Over all, I’m responsible for making sure that the Blue Cross Blue Shield account as a whole is moving in the right direction and that things are getting completed. I work with a lot of deadlines, ranging from print ads that go in a program for an event they are sponsoring, to the TV commercials that you see running.  And making sure all of this happens and gets done on time is the biggest job of all.  

Q: What brought you to Intermark, and how has your role changed since you started with the company?

A: I started Intermark on June 4, 2007. I was hired as an account coordinator for the Gulf States Toyota account.  With them I mainly did traffic and budgets, but it was a great starting place nonetheless. In 2008, I was moved into the creative department as production coordinator. All of the broadcast production that came through the agency at that time was routed through me. I made sure that the scripts and spots got to the right people. In 2010, a job in PR came about, as an account executive, and I was able to continue working with GST, so it was a logical transition. I managed the GST social media accounts and also worked with American Buildings and Krispy Kreme; so everything from donuts to metal buildings. I also worked on the Freihofer’s 100th Anniversary, a bread company that is a regional Northeast brand.  

Last May, it was my idea to explore the Blue Cross job, and everyone agreed. I like the job and I really like to be able to work with all aspects of the agency, especially having full access to the creative department.  It’s great working with Keith (Otter) and Jeff (York), because they are so experienced. Chris (Mann) is so funny and good with clients that it’s nice to have him to walk them through the big numbers in terms of budgets. The experience has been great for my career as a whole.

Q: What’s your favorite part about what you do?

A: My favorite part about what I do is probably the fact that I feel like when I come to work I’m the same person as I am outside of work. I don’t have to guard what I say. I can be myself. I don’t have to dress up all of the time. I can be a little bit more casual and not be so concerned about politics. And every day is different. Everybody says that about an agency.

Q: What’s the most challenging part of your job?

A: Staying focused and on point. The most challenging part of my job is making sure everything stays on task and meets the appropriate deadlines.

Q: Hobbies, what do you enjoy doing outside of your work life?

A: I really enjoy cooking and eating. Those are two of my favorite things. Cooking is a stress relief for me.  I also like to travel. I spend a lot of time with family. I really love hanging out with my son, Barrett, who turns 2 this month, so he keeps me busy most of the time.

Q: What’s something that most people would be surprised to learn about you?

A: Most people would be surprised to learn that I was in the band. I played French horn and piano.  

Q: At Intermark, every Intermarker has a quote on their cubical nameplate. What’s yours?

A: “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” Stephen Hawking

Want to learn more about Lindsey? Feel free to leave her a question or comment below!

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Back to School... Back to School

The summer months are coming to a close, and that means school is back in session. A new school year is exciting: fresh crayons, a new backpack, a multitude of blank pages to be filled. However, for many children in the Birmingham area, school supplies are not a guarantee, though they are a necessity.

Intermark Group will hold its annual Back to School drive this year from August 10­­–28. It will benefit Central Park Elementary, the same school that we read to in the spring for Birmingham Reads, Central Park Elementary.

We will be collecting new school supplies, as well as monetary donations. Those who give supplies or make donations of $5+ will be entered into a raffle to win two tickets to an Alabama or an Auburn football game.

This raffle will be held at Intermark’s Football Kick-Off Party on August 26th (sure to involve lots of corn hole).

Any and all donations are welcome and appreciated!