Melissa Harvey of Arlington, Va., won the 2009 Washington Post’s Peeps Diorama contest for NightPeeps—her rendition of Edward Hopper’s famous painting Nighthawks. “I wanted to recreate the bleak urban landscape and the fluorescent light, and add a little pink and yellow,” Harvey told the Washington Post. A graphic designer by trade, Harvey spent 45 hours over two weekends to build the winning diorama.

For the last few years, I’ve eagerly awaited the results of the Washington Post’s Peeps Diorama contest. Of course, this year is no exception. You might be wondering “what’s wrong with her?” and I might be wondering that myself. However, I can’t think of a better use for Peeps than as a vehicle for self-expression and creative outlet.

Now in its fourth year, the contest features Peeps in full immersive environments depicting historical events, moments in art/film/TV as well as original ideas. Check out finalists from prior contests and see this year’s winners here.

Julie Meidam | Post a Comment

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I recently spoke to the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. My goal was to talk about my job in B2B PR and to raise awareness of what exactly it is. It’s been my experience in previous speaking engagements with college PR students that most are not familiar with B2B PR. It seems that many soon-to-be graduates envision themselves doing PR for Summerfest, the Milwaukee Brewers, a cool non-profit or some other type of glamorous account. That’s all fine and well, but there’s a whole other world out there of parts and accessories that need shining as well.

Steve Staedler speaks to PRSSA students at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

(more…)

Steve Staedler | Post a Comment

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If you don’t understand or segment your target audience correctly, then all your marketing efforts that follow will be worth nada. That’s especially true with the Hispanic market. The biggest mistake a company can make is to lump this group into one. Yes, the Spanish language itself is a unifying factor among Hispanics. But there’s more to it than that. (more…)

Karen Enriquez-Wagner | Post a Comment

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It may be a little thing to some – or a source of major concern to others – but getting snubbed by a prospective business associate is a cause of increasing concern.  Many, if not all of us have fallen victim to the snub in one form or another, be it a lack of response to a phone conversation, voice message or e-mailed proposal (the “e-snub”) or mailed letter, the absence of a timely professional response is truly at an alarming level in corporations and small businesses.  (more…)

Dean LePoidevin | Post a Comment

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A couple of weeks ago, I watched the movie Coco Before Chanel.  If not apparent from the title, this is a film about the life of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel leading up to her infamous legacy as the couture fashion designer and founder of Chanel.

As much as I would love to indulge you in my admiration for fashion, this designer, etc, I found this movie to spark another line of thought and sort-of inspiration. (more…)

Rosalind Elliott | Post a Comment

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