By Kathleen Dohearty, Branigan Communications, www.branigan.biz

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been a part of the public relations lexicon for years. It’s a strategy that has contributed to the overall reputation management of large and small companies.

But over the past decade or so, things have changed. The world has changed. A CSR strategy is no longer a nice-to-have or partisan agenda, but a business requirement. Consumers, suppliers, distributors and other business partners have demanded it. Social responsibility initiatives now have an effect on corporate bottom lines or triple bottom lines comprised of performance, social responsibility (sustainability) and people or intellectual capital.

But some companies haven’t stopped there. They are trying to change the industries and cities where they do business for the better. I attended the Water Council Summit V in September and witnessed a consortium of businesses that have put Milwaukee on the international map for water innovation in business, academia and research. The Water Council has taken social responsibility to a new level and is the model for companies affecting social and economic change in this millennium.

Rich Meeusen, CEO, Badger Meter, gave the Summit’s closing remarks. Many who are familiar with his unfettered speaking style might recognize this story. To paraphrase, he talked about four men who were laying bricks. An onlooker walked by each and asked what they were doing. The first man said I’m laying bricks. The second man said I’m building a wall. The third craftsman said well, I’m building a church, and the fourth and final man said I’m building a place where people can worship their God.

Vision. It’s what separates those that engage in CSR aesthetics from companies that are truly making a difference. Milwaukee is a leading citizen in this arena with Badger Meter, A.O. Smith, Johnson Controls, Veolia and others headquartered here truly walking the walk and contributing to this model globally. No, they are not perfect, and when a microscope is taken to these efforts, they aren’t entirely altruistic. They are also profit centers. In this day and age, economic prosperity is as much of a reason to dive deeper into the CSR pool as any.

There are many of us in Milwaukee that work at and with these businesses and we all know integrating social responsibility is not that easy sometimes. The day-to-day work takes precedence over vision. Performance and delivery on marketing communications and sales strategies sometimes trump the slow-moving dinosaur that we call a corporate business/culture shift. But it can happen.

There’s a water company on the north side of Chicago that is doing this very thing through building consensus where possible, but the majority of forward movement occurs without 100 percent approval. It takes guts and a risk of failure to catapult a company into this way of thinking and operating.

So the next time you put PR plans and corporate social responsibility strategies to paper, ask yourselves, are you laying bricks or doing something more?

By: Sabrina Nelson,  Johnson Controls Inc., www.johnsoncontrols.com

We all know of the four P’s of marketing:  Product, Price, Place and Promotion.  Some of us were even taught about a fifth, People.  Well, I’d like to introduce a sixth for your consideration when organizing your next work or personal event – planning.  I've been doing quite a bit of planning lately as Chair of the annual BMA-Milwaukee holiday party, and I'm finding that planning is key to the continued success of that event.  So whether you're heading up an office pot luck for 10 a sit down dinner for 500, consider the following:  

• What are the goals of your event?  Is it networking, a specific event celebration or a fund raiser?  Decisions for your event from food & beverage, to room layout, to venue selection will vary based on your desired outcome.  Networking might be better served with passed appetizers while a specific celebration or fund-raiser might warrant the extra touch of a plated dinner.
• What’s in it for your guests? What motivates your party goers?  Is it the warm feeling they get from donating to a good cause or is your party THE event of the season and a place to see and be seen?  Does your event provide an opportunity to get a little holiday shopping done via an auction or have a nice take-away like a photo from a professional photographer?  
• What are the preferences of your guests? Is your group all about a 9-course meal or is it the cocktail hour that gets them going?   Are they a jeans and jersey crowd or do they look forward to the once a-year-opportunity to dress up in sequins and stilettos?
• Timing is everything: Everyone is running a million miles a minute.  Giving consideration to potentially conflicting events will help increase attendance at yours!  Pay attention to sporting events, school breaks and busy times of the year.  For example, a holiday party, held on a Thursday night in early December will probably present less of a conflict than a similar event held on a Sunday during a Green Bay Packer game.
• Sometimes it takes a team:  No matter the size of the event, having assistance in dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s will help to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.   Even if you are organizing the event solo, having someone to bounce ideas off of is always a great plan.  A co-worker, spouse or friend can provide a new and different perspective and give you ideas you may never have considered. 

Last but most importantly – plan to have fun!  All your up-front efforts will help to ensure your event goes smoothly for all to enjoy, including you!
 

Celtic, Inc., Brookfield, has hired Jacquelyn Hribar as an account executive. She formerly worked at Caffeine Communications in Wauwatosa.

Nelson Schmidt Inc., Milwaukee, has hired Amanda Baronas as account coordinator and social media specialist in its public relations department. Baronas has been a member of the Nelson Schmidt team for nearly two years. She started as an intern with the agency and her enthusiasm and professionalism earned her a permanent position.

Primum Marketing Communications, Milwaukee has added Ashley Cobert as a public relations account executive. Prior to joining Primum, Cobert worked in public relations at another Milwaukee agency and at FIS, formerly Metavante Corporation.

Milwaukee-based Nelson Schmidt Inc., has hired Jason Mazurek as interactive developer in its Milwaukee office. Mazurek will be responsible for programming and development of client websites and applications. Previously, he worked at Kalmbach Publishing in Waukesha as a Web developer.

PKA Marketing, Mequon, has announced that Wade Kohlmann has been hired to the position of vice president of strategic services. Wade brings a wealth of experience with some of the leading agencies in Milwaukee, serving business-to-business, health care, not-for-profit and educational clients.

Milwaukee-based Nelson Schmidt Inc. has hired Brendan Kennedy as senior copywriter in its Milwaukee office. Kennedy will be responsible for producing written communications for the agency's clients, which include but are not limited to advertising campaigns, sales brochures and website copy. He has more than seven years of experience in business-to-consumer and business-to-business writing. He previously worked at Bader Rutter in Brookfield. 

Mueller Communications, Inc., Milwaukee has hired Megan Sullivan as an assistant account executive. Prior to joining Mueller Communications, Sullivan worked as an account coordinator at BVK.

Social business agency 7Summits, Milwaukee, has hired Rob Murray as senior vice president. Murray joins the 7Summits team from Jive Software, where he established himself as the Chicago market leader. In addition to his experience at Jive, Murray also held leadership roles with RightNow Technologies, HP, Mercury Interactive, and Business Objects. He joins 7Summits with more than 20 years of software, solutions, and business leadership.

Boelter + Lincoln Marketing Communications, Milwaukee, has promoted Garth Cramer to associate creative director. He was previously a senior copywriter and producer at the agency.

Scheibel Halaska, Milwaukee, has added Brittany Dorfner as account coordinator. Prior to joining Scheibel Halaska, Dorfner gained experience managing accounts and participating in the planning and execution of campaigns at a niche PR firm, where she also developed and managed social media initiatives.

Milwaukee-based social business agency, 7Summits, has added Behrooz Rezvani to its board of directors. Rezvani is an industry-leading visionary and serial entrepreneur who brings innovation in effective mobile and social network communications to the board.

Scheibel Halaska, Milwaukee, has added Nick Abadie as senior art director to help produce creative advertising and marketing vehicles for the agency’s expanding client base. He has  nearly 10 years of experience. Prior to joining Scheibel Halaska, Abadie was an art director for Walzak Marketing Communications.

Milwaukee-based Gravity Marketing has added Barb Esser as senior account manager and Dustin Wales to its team of researchers. Esser joins Gravity after serving as director of marketing for The Rauser Agency and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Bader Rutter & Associates, Brookfield, has promoted Claire Keyes to team leader in the agency’s public relations department. She previously served as a senior account executive at the firm. Melissa Kintop was also promoted to team leader in the account management department, where she previously served as a senior account executive, and Griffin Bungener has been promoted to the position of team leader in the account management department.

Waukesha-based Brown & Martin, Inc. has named Leslie Bonk, APR as its new president. Bonk succeeds Dale Brown, who will move into a new role as chairman and chief executive officer of the marketing, public relations and IT solutions firm. Bonk joined Brown & Martin in 1986 and held several positions in the company before being promoted to senior vice president in 1994. She also earned Accreditation through the Public Relations Society of America.

Mueller Communications, Inc., Milwaukee, has promoted Phill Trewyn to senior account executive. His responsibilities will include managing client teams and execution of communications plans as well as assisting with business development initiatives. Prior to joining Mueller Communications, Trewyn worked in the newspaper industry for 15 years in a number of different reporting and editing positions. 

Milwaukee-based 7Summits agency has added three new executives to its firm. They include: Chris Taylor, business development manager; Roguen Keller, project lead and senior developer and Jason Kobs, senior designer.

Vollrath Associates Inc., Milwaukee, has promoted Jessica Vollrath to vice president.  Vollrath joined the firm in 2005.  Prior to joining Vollrath Associates, Vollrath handled media planning for several consumer clients at a Chicago advertising agency.