Visionary Positioning
Learn how PAN exposed Telco to the most significant target players in both the analyst community and top tier media.

Creating Buzz
Read how PAN drove attendance and garnered amazing coverage for the Premier Guitar Festival in just two weeks!

Top Tier Coverage
See how PAN secured their client in high-level business publications using three unique story angles, allowing them to stand out.

Awareness Campaign - From Regional to National
Discover how the PAN team increased national coverage for Hydro International, a local and regulatory-driven business.

Carving a Niche in the Market
Read about how PAN laid important groundwork and created a receptive audience for PlayNetwork, resulting in fantastic coverage.

Sending the Right Message
By Ani Bardakjian, Marketing Manager

Email communication is becoming more and more important, and so is the way we use it. I recently attended a ClickZ email marketing conference in New York which was helpful and offered a handful of general tips I'd like to share.

Whether you're sending a newsletter email or a promotional email, here are some tips to exercise the next time you get ready to send an email campaign:

· First things first: What are YOUR goals? What do you want to achieve by sending your next email marketing campaign?

· Email marketing is as powerful as ever, but it' all about RELEVANCE. Be sure to treat your audience with respect. Don't send them information they don't want or can't use. Your click-through-rate will increase drastically if you send them valuable information. Also, reach out to your audience IF and WHEN you have something to say.

· If you're in the retail or services industry, be sure to know what your customer is purchasing. If they just purchased a laptop, don't send them a laptop offer, rather accessories or batteries suitable for the laptop. The customer will notice you're paying attention.

· Have a visible opt-in and opt-out page on your website. Make it easy for people to subscribe/unsubscribe. Place these on multiple pages on your site (high-traffic pages).

· Include your contact information on multiple, high-traffic website pages. People are more likely to contact you if you're easily accessible.

· Don't ask for too much information - You don't need to ask a potential customer for every single detail. A simple name, email address and perhaps a zip code will do - you may lose interest if you have an asterisk next to too many fields. Don't scare them off, get your foot in the door instead!

· Send a useful, interesting welcome or confirmation email once they've signed up, it has a positive effect.

· Avoid sounding like an infomercial. Include interesting articles and engaging information. Articles based on quizzes or polls are always popular. This shows that you're not just a business, rather you love what you do and you want the audience to love it too.

· Get rid of the dead wood. Update your contact database frequently. If you have bounce backs, take care of them immediately, by either updating the contact's email address, or permanently deleting the contact. This will improve your readership quality.

· Discontinue sending to people who haven't opened your email in 5 years. They're clearly not interested or the email address is no longer active. Deleting these inactive names will improve the quality of your readership.

· Offer incentives. It's a known fact, people love free things. Offer them a pen or a t-shirt in exchange for completing a survey, it goes a long way!

· Avoid purchasing mailing lists - most of them are inaccurate and unwanted mail may generate spam complaints, etc. Plus, they're expensive.

If you would like to learn more, Email Labs (email marketing specialists) and ClickZ offer free newsletters which offer email marketing tips. Feel free to send me an email with any questions, I'd be happy to hear from you!

Working with PAN:

Cristine More
CFRE, Vice President for Development

Cristine More, who has been raising funds in the community hospital setting for over 20 years, is the Vice President for Development at Milton Hospital, a Massachusetts-based hospital providing community-based health care to people of all ages in local communities. Cristine is responsible for the capital and annual fund-raising program, public relations and marketing, auxilians and volunteers.

Why did you choose PAN as your PR agency?
When we were first looking for a PR agency, we wanted a firm that would be excited to have us as a client; think outside of the box; and be a proactive voice for us on all levels. Their initial meeting with us was fantastic. They really prepared for the presentation, presented wonderful new ideas and we really clicked with Phil and Jodie. PAN has very established relationships with the media family and we knew PAN would embrace Milton Hospital and promote us very passionately and positively. PAN's portfolio is quite impressive.

What are the PR challenges in the healthcare industry, especially as a local player in the Boston market full of nationally renowned institutions?
One of the biggest challenges to overcome is the ability to have positive stories on the hospital published. We are in an era of "no blood; no story," meaning if there is no shock factor in the story, it's very difficult to have it published. Another challenge is that we are a community hospital in every sense of the word. Our services are focused on the community, for the community. We strive to be the very best community hospital. If we have a patient at the hospital with serious issues beyond our capabilities, it is our responsibility to stabilize them and get them to an acute care hospital that can treat them. It is our responsibility to have the clinical affiliations established to make that transfer seamless. And we do. Another challenge is that new technology to Milton Hospital is not always new medical technology for a teaching hospital. Milton Hospital is in the forefront of community hospital medicine and that sometimes is overshadowed by our friends in the "Medical Mecca" just a few miles away.

How has PAN helped Milton to overcome some of these challenges?
PAN believes in Milton Hospital. They have been, and continue to be, an experienced credible third party voice to the media on our behalf. Our PAN team has opened doors we have had a difficult time opening, and some we never dreamed we could open. They have worked with the media pre, during and post events and used their media opportunities to share our message and mission. We are appearing in publications we never thought possible.

What do you find most appealing about working with the PAN team?
Most appealing -- the fact that we have 4-5 people at PAN working for Milton Hospital at any point in time. We simply do not have those resources here at Milton Hospital. Also appealing is the team's responsiveness and es'prit de corps. We at Milton Hospital truly enjoy working with Phil, Jodie, Alexis, Stacy and Sarah -- they are always available for us.

We have great admiration for how our PAN team processes ideas and difficult scenarios for positive outcomes. Their advice is on target and their professionalism is to be commended - you can tell they really like working with each other. We feel there is true chemistry and mutual respect between Milton Hospital and PAN, which makes working together even more fun and enjoyable. And if you can't have fun - you're in the wrong job and should just go home.

Congratulations to Becki Parkhurstwho was promoted to Account Manager and to Caroline Sommer who was promoted to Junior Associate! We appreciate their hard work and dedication!

Join us in welcoming the following new PAN team members:
Jane Carpenter, Director, Consumer Practice
Lisa Astor, Account Manager
Kim Scali, Receptionist and Executive Assistant

Since our last newsletter, we've announced new clients in all three of our portfolios, from across North America. Click here to read the press announcement.

Life at PAN: Our Employees Make Us Shine



Please join us in welcoming Jane Carpenter, who is Director of our Consumer practice. Jane attended the University of Virginia and Boston University's School of Communication, where she earned a B.S. and a M.S., respectively. Jane will be responsible for leading the agency's consumer portfolio and will provide creative and strategic leadership. We're very excited to have her on board!

We asked Jane to answer a few questions so that you may get to know her:

Why did you choose PR as a career? How long have you been in the field?

Jane: I love being "in the know" and on top of breaking news and events. PR puts me right at the forefront of all the action as I constantly look for innovative ways to promote my clients and play a strategic role in creating and releasing news. I have spent the last ten years building and implementing PR programs for my clients across a variety of industries.

What are your day to day responsibilities in your new position at PAN?

Jane: At PAN, I have the opportunity to guide our consumer clients as we look ahead and strategize on long-term goals and objectives. It is my responsibility to look beyond the tactical and think about the big ideas and planning that dramatically differentiates a winning PR campaign from routine media relations.

What's your favorite thing about your job?

Jane: I love working with new clients and diving into a variety of different consumer sectors on a regular basis. There is always a fresh idea or angle to pursue.

How do you add value to your clients?

Jane: Having worked with so many different companies over the course of my career, I draw upon previous experiences and a great deal of accumulated knowledge to help my clients successfully leverage public relations initiatives to meet core business goals.

Why are relationships with consumer reporters so important, especially with all the information overload these days (with blogs, feeds, etc.)?

Jane: Blogs and other new media outlets are hugely influential on today's consumers. However, there is a lot of noise out there and it is often difficult to sort fact from fiction. The public still thinks of well respected and trusted media outlets as the most reliable sources of information and reporters are still tasked with the job of editing down the barrage of information to find the most relevant ideas and news. By building and maintaining relationships with reporters, PR practitioners can achieve access and mindshare for their clients with the reporters that matter most and break away from some of the clutter on the Internet.

What do you like best about PAN?

Jane: The culture is amazing! I love working in a company that encourages constant collaboration across the organization.

What are your hobbies? Any favorite Fall past times?

Jane: I love to cook and entertain when I have time! My kids and I had a great time decorating for Halloween.

What was your favorite Halloween costume?

Jane: I dressed up as Paris Hilton about three years ago and that was a big hit. This year I dressed up as a mermaid.

To read more about Jane's role, click here to read the press release .

PAN Wedding!



Congratulations to Phil's Executive Assistant Amy McGaffigan (now Morris) who was married on September 29, 2007!

PAN was included in an Incentive Magazine story about companies who reward their employees with gift cards . PAN gives out weekly gift cards to employees who go above and beyond. It's a great program that we all love! Click here to read the article!

PAN's Summer Outing took place on August 17, 2007 at Rye Beach, NH, and the weather was picture perfect! The theme this year was 007, and we had way too much fun. From an intense scavenger hunt to great food to an exciting volleyball tournament, we created many wonderful memories and had a fantastic time!

Trick or Treat! PAN celebrated their annual Halloween party with lots of fun costumes and delicious ghoulish treats made by our own staff!



















To see more pictures from the memorable Summer Outing and Halloween party, click here!