Reading Horizons has donated a reading program to 8 year old Adam, an Indiana native with dyslexia. Adam is one of their spotlights in the organizations Lemons for Literacy donation program, which offers aid to struggling readers and also helps adults who have difficulty reading. Reading Horizon's newest spotlight is Torrence, a seven year old from California. He has a twin brother who has been accelerated as a gifted student, but Torrence is repeating Grade One due to a learning disability. His mother is legally blind and the family hasn't been able to get help for the little boy who... Read More >

Women may be on the way to ruling the social gaming industry, but they don't really want to pay much to play. A recent study by Q Interactive and Engage Expo indicates that 55% of female game players feel that companies would charge in the future, and keep their wallets shut when it comes to paying for social and casual games. That could be a dismal figure for the social and casual gaming industry, especially as it looks towards the growing number of platforms making it possible for increased game distribution. In general, women have been taking over a lot... Read More >

Greenough Communications has been chosen by Virtusa, a global information technology (IT) services company, to work on their PR. The decision was announced today and is in effect immediately. Greenough will be taking on the development of a social media and public relations plan for their newest client. The PR company will also be putting the plans into action. "The age of social media has clearly arrived," said Virtusa SVP of Marketing, Doug Mow. "Virtusa's unique platforming methodology and focus on business outcomes deliver value in ways that other service providers cannot. In addition to Greenough's social media skill and... Read More >

The auto industry still seems to be in turmoil, with American manufacturers still struggling with their re-branding efforts and foreign car companies beginning to face their own marketing woes. Social media may seem like the likely answer for overcoming many of these advertising obstacles, but can it prove to be the kind of savior such a large industry seeks? It just may be. Ford has taken to social media marketing for all of these reasons, hoping to get ahead of the curve on leveraging online outlets to push their message through. A more recent effort for Ford's social media marketing... Read More >

Athletes used to have higher ethics in the past - scandals were rare, by no means comparable with those emerging from the rock'n'roll world of sex and drugs. Yes, we heard the names of the greats a few times, in highlights that didn't exactly honor them, but somehow they managed to keep their careers intact. A better crisis management strategy I guess. The world still remembers Jim Palmer as Jim Palmer, and Bjorn Borg's "transgressions" with a minor are all forgotten. Does anyone still remember what David Cone did in 1989? Or how Cristiano Ronaldo had fun in October 2005?... Read More >

Delving into the brain can be an exciting and dangerous thing to do, depending on your motives. Marketing is one of those motives that can be debatable, making some uncomfortable with the fact that brands could be using neuroscience towards improving their advertising methods. Campbell's is now one of those brands, seemingly turning to neuromarketing as a desperate option for increasing sales. Campbell's is already a very strong brand, having been around for decades. The brand's soup can is iconic, and is even memorialized in our pop culture thanks to artist Andy Warhol. So why would a brand with such... Read More >

KCSA Strategic Communications will be the new agency of record for ChinaTel, a telecommunicatinos and broadband company. KCSA will be helping the company boost investors and also to manage their financial communications program. ChinaTel's CEO, George Alvarez, stated, "This is the beginning of a very exciting chapter in our growth. Our recently completed $640 million equity investment provides us with ample capital to deploy and operate wireless broadband telecommunications networks in 29 cities in the People's Republic of China (PRC). With the financing behind us and a clear vision for growth, we believe that now is the right time to... Read More >

Education and the web. It seems like a thrilling pairing, giving technology the boost towards the education sector that it's been needing for some time. Making that technology accessible when it comes to large scale implementation is typically where the plans catch a snag. That doesn't appear to be the case with the Lower Merion School District in Philadelphia. The administration may have taken the adoption of technology too far, as it's been caught spying on students through webcams. At home. Even if I were an education authority figure spying on my students through the webcam my district provided for... Read More >

Oh, how the media's ticking! A long-awaited moment and the keyboards start to rumble, nervous fingers tap witty words in a flow of questions that will probably remain unanswered. Golf fans around the world will be reading the news incisively today and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. The public will be looking for those answers the media cannot give, because the target will not be as cooperative as we all hope. Yes, Tiger Woods will break the silence tomorrow, in front of a single television camera at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. There will be... Read More >

I got pretty frustrated with a routine trip to Walmart yesterday, and I found myself fuming at the large company, it's incoherent purchase and return policies, and the fact that there was little I could do about it. I thought about tweeting my frustrations, but I ended up even more mad at myself for shopping at Walmart in the first place. It's a store I managed to avoid until recent months, though yesterday's experience merely reminded me of why I will typically shop at any store but Walmart. One aspect of Walmart that particularly irked me yesterday was its mere... Read More >