We recently shared news that our client, Turknett Leadership Group, had begun accepting nominations for the 8^th annual Leadership Character Awards.  The Awards recognize Atlanta leaders who exemplify the highest standards of character and integrity.

It made me explore what other qualities a good leader possesses.  Here are a few:

• A good listener. Working with a team means that you have to listen.  Oftentimes, listening triggers solutions.

• Anticipates change. Great leaders have to anticipate change and respond to growth.  For example, social media tools Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr have forever changed the way we communicate our brands to consumers. Great leaders must implement new strategies into their campaigns and keep the message fresh.

• Challenges and inspires others. A leader recognizes potential, helps colleagues harness their capabilities and grow.

• Builds great teams. No one has all the answers.  Therefore, it is important to build a team that can help you strategically plan, and expand the elastic reach of your marketing view at every touchpoint. At EOS, we believe this group or effort is so important that we bought 25 square feet of porcelain white boards to use creatively when we collaborate with clients.

• Plans with the end in mind. Think about the last scene of your movie, then rewind.  How do you want your Oscar winner to go?  Always envision the end result.

There is still time to nominate someone for the Leadership Character Awards.  Visit www.leadershipcharacter.com to learn more.

Elyse, Taylor from WFSH Radio and Adrienne, Gigi's Playhouse President

On March 3, 2012, our client Gigi’s Playhouse, held its second gala at the Ritz Carlton Atlanta to raise funds for its Midtown Down syndrome therapy center. Thanks, in part, to media coverage on WAGA FOX-5, WSB, WFSH-FM WNIV-AM, and in the AJC and Neighbor Newspapers, the sold-out event raised $220,000. Even Mayor Reed made a special video appearance.

The net? More children with T21 (Down’s new name) will benefit from Gigi’s. The 25 free literacy programs, muscle toning exercises, physical, occupational, and speech therapies, family support and social events provide children born with T21 opportunities for a productive life.

To learn more about our client, or to get involved, visit: http://www.facebook.com/GigisAtlanta.

EOS Leap Year Bracelets

Leaping into 2012 and taking our agency to the next level, we have expanded with six new clients, new team members, and new products. As the economy recovers, our long-term clients graciously referred new business our way because of the value thinking and big ideas we offer. Couple big ideas with our ability to consistently execute programs that reach consumers and our new clients are winning in a rebounding economy - which is an also a win for us as their agency!

New clients added to our roster include:

• The City of Dunwoody
• Convention and Visitor’s Bureau of Dunwoody
• Higher Ground, a blog written by four Atlanta faith leaders to inspire positive change formed through The Community Foundation
• MillBridge, a new master-planned community outside of Charlotte
• Soleil Laurel Canyon, a master-planned active adult resort-style community in Canton, just north of Atlanta
• Turknett Leadership Group, a leadership character and organizational development firm

As the agency of record for these clients, we provide a range of integrated marketing services including advertising, branding, creative, public relations and social media.

In January, EOS joined forces with Emmy Award-winning journalist Kimberley Kennedy, in a unique partnership to offer a comprehensive, hands-on media and communications training program called EMPOWER.  Kennedy has more than 25 years’ experience covering hard news, features, and entertainment for WSB, WXIA and CNN.

We have already made some big steps this year, and are eager to see where 2012 will take us.  Make sure to “Like” us on Facebook and stay up to date on what’s happening at EOS. Let us know how you plan to leap in 2012 on Facebook and we will send you a LEAP YEAR bracelet!

Happy Leap Day!

This experience in front of the camera and podium, coupled with Elyse Hammett’s 20 years of award-winning PR work, is just what we needed to launch EMPOWER, our unique and comprehensive, hands-on communications and media training program.

So, if you want to shine for a new business pitch, a press conference, a speech to your employee team, a media relations campaign or a YouTube video series, EMPOWER is your answer.

Enjoy!

What will it really take to stay ahead? What can you do to drive better results? And which channels really do work best for reaching journalists right now?

Join two of our very own goddesses, media veteran Kimberley Kennedy and PR pro Elyse Hammett, APR for the PRSA GA Chapter monthly seminar on Thursday, January 12th at Maggiano’s Buckhead.

They’ll reveal the results of an exclusive December 2011 social media survey of local journalists, plus share insights into the evolving use of social media in newsrooms - not only will you gain insight into which channels to use for your pitches, but you will also learn how to prioritize your social media time and budget in 2012!

There is still time to join the 40 people who have already registered for this interactive seminar! Visit https://www.prsageorgia.org/events/calendar-of-events/January-2012-Seminar/ to register today - you will not want to be tardy to this (digital) party!

EOS Marketing will be closed Wednesday, November 23rd to Friday, November 25th for the Thanksgiving holidays. Our office will reopen Monday, November 28th for regular business hours.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

As a new business you quickly learn what you are prepared for and what you are not, but ultimately making the best out of every situation.  Sharing funny stories and our favorite memories we sipped on all kinds of wine, snacked on a fine selection of meats and cheeses, enjoyed a delectable birthday cake with plastic forks and most of all enjoyed the company of one another.

Happy Birthday to us!!

Curled up in a teeny-tiny coach seat on a Delta flight to NYC, I opened the pages of Rohit Bhargava’s “Personality Not Included.” After hearing him speak at a recent PRSA event, I was compelled to dig into the book about how companies lose their authenticity and great brands get it back. With years in corporate public relations for Fortune 500s, I’ve witnessed this dilemma firsthand, and Rohit’s observations were funny, insightful, touching - as if I was sitting in a 12-step program listening to bad choices for some and positive breakthroughs for others.

The crux of Rohit’s thesis is that personalities matter - from the inside out. Faceless is out. Dynamic personalities are in. Consistency is the coup de grâce, and although many Wall Street darlings have hid behind carefully crafted advertising messages, Rohit suggests the need for businesses to rediscover the soul of their brands in the social media, impression-to-expression universe.

While in the Big Apple, I popped into the New Amsterdam Theater to see a childhood classic, updated for today’s time, Mary Poppins: The Musical. The central theme of the book P. J. Travers penned over a century ago is family. Jane and Michael Banks are the well-to-do but troubled children of an aloof overworked banker (who gets laid off) and his suffragette wife (who is too focused on climbing the London society ladder to spend time with her children). Through word and song, Mary teaches Jane and Michael life lessons that still resonate for all of us 100 years later. Whether it’s to give from your heart “Feed the Birds”, to enjoy the little pleasures in life “Chim Chim Cheree”, to accept everyone for who they are “Jolly Holliday”, or to be a responsible family member “A Spoonful of Sugar”, Mary Poppins was truly practically perfect in every way.

As I walked back to the hotel room through Times Square’s riveting lights, I had an ah-ha moment. The soul of Mary’s brand offers time-tested and bold insights into how we work, act, live and play in today’s turbulent financial times. She’s as relevant now as she was when Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar for her Mary portrayal in 1965. She’s proof of what Rohit describes in his riveting book. Personalities do matter from the inside out.

And on that note, I’m off to take my own spoonful of sugar…

I recently came across a TED video by Kathryn Schulz, the author of “Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error,” and “The Wrong Stuff.”  In this video she discusses the question of what it really means to be wrong and the feelings associated with being wrong.

From the beginning, the idea of what is “right” and what is “wrong” is instilled in us. As early as grade school we are introduced to the dreadful feeling of being wrong and the negative stigma associated with it (I sure remember the very first time I misspelled a word in front of my class). So, as a way to avoid that uncomfortable feeling, most of us decide to become perfectionists and overachievers.

Still adjusting to the fast pace of the real world and learning the ropes of a growing agency, this video hit home for me.  As a relative rookie at EOS, it is not a question if I am going to be wrong and make a mistake, but when.

“Things don’t go wrong, they simply happen”. Listening to Kathryn speak, I realize it is not about being right or wrong, but all about perspective. The big idea here is how we perceive the feeling of being wrong. Society’s obsession with being right can affect our productivity and creativity. I often lack confidence in my work and will make sure that each of the partners have reviewed it before I move on. This is the perfect example of how my efforts to avoid doing something wrong, can waste valuable time.

I know that taking chances and learning from my mistakes is a part of life and is fundamental to who I am in both my professional and social life. Embracing unexpected change and the instances in which we are wrong, can enable us to see things in a different light– allowing us to take a step back, see the big picture and put things in perspective.

This is why I find the EOS mantra “New Day, Fresh Perspective” completely inspiring.  As I continue to learn and grow with EOS in this industry, implementing creative, intuitive and innovative campaigns for our clients, I am hoping to overcome my insecurities of making a wrong decision by accepting the hiccups along the way, and remembering that tomorrow is always another opportunity to get it right.

So, check out the video yourself and let me know what you think!