Hayslett Group Makes Memories

Hayslett Group recently worked with Capitol Impact, LLC on a website project for Briarcliff High School's Class of 1966 4oth reunion.

Using photographs from the 1966 yearbook and technology from today, we created a functional and memorable site, www.briarcliff66.com. The site makes it easy to get in touch and keep in touch with old friends, as well as making the organization of an event like this easy as 1,2, 3. Check it out!

New Client Update: Crossroads 400

Hayslett Group has been retained by the Crossroads 400 Group to manage public relations activities surrounding its proposed development and construction of a comprehensive overhaul of GA 400. The project is a Public Private Initiative, bringing together a consortium of highly qualified private-sector firms that are able to finance, design and build a transportation solution in a fraction of the time possible through traditional state-run programs. The project, anticipated to deliver a completed solution in 2015, will likely incorporate a mix of traditional general purpose lanes, HOV lanes and managed lanes that operate on congestion-based tolling. The goal is development of not only more capacity for this growing region, but a variety of transportation options that will provide greater accessibility while decreasing travel times.

New Client Update: GDHR Trauma Campaign

Hayslett Group has won a contract to develop a turnkey, statewide trauma system Public Awareness and Marketing Campaign. The contract is with the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services Trauma/Emergency Preparedness (OEMST/EP).

Hayslett Group will identify issues related to development of a statewide trauma system, design a marketing plan, produce original campaign materials and develop a toolkit for staff and partners to use in implementing the campaign.

The goal of the marketing campaign is to raise awareness and educate the public about how an integrated trauma system can prevent injuries and improve outcomes of critically injured patients in Georgia.

New Client Update: ARCADIS/GDOT

ARCADIS, a global infrastructure analysis and engineering firm, has chosen Hayslett Group to provide communications support for a program for the Georgia Department of Transportation to provide a comprehensive review of one of Georgia's busiest roadways, the northern section of Interstate 285. The goal of the project, anticipated at lasting approximately five years, is to lay the groundwork for the creation of transportation solutions to address the long-term needs of this vital transportation corridor.

For more information on ARCADIS,go to www.arcadis-us.com.

For more information on the Georgia Department of Transportation, go to www.dot.state.ga.us.

Meet Tom Wall

For over a decade, Tom has often worked with Hayslett Group as Senior Counsel. His career spans nearly 30 years as a public relations professional, corporate communicator and journalist. He has produced speeches, presentations, website content, white papers and other materials for a client list including DeKalb Medical Center, the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, Delta Air Lines, AFC Enterprises, and Phoebe Putney Health System. He served as the editor of Health Management Technology, a monthly 35,000-circulation magazine, and editor of the newsletter Subacute Care Management. Wall's experience includes 10 years with IBM Corporation and 12 years as a reporter and editor for The Cincinnati Post. He has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Marquette University.

Hayslett Group Joins IABC Atlanta Sponsors

Hayslett Group has agreed to fill the role of design sponsor for the Atlanta Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Our firm will design the association’s quarterly publication, empart, the annual Golden Flame materials and provide communications support as needed. Keep an eye out for our work throughout the year!

To learn more about IABC, visit www.iabcatlanta.com.

Special Healthcare Lunch & Learn

Measuring and Demonstrating Marketing ROI
in a Healthcare Setting
March 24, 2006, 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Hayslett Group would like to cordially invite you to join our office and health care contacts to "Lunch & Learn." We will provide the complimentary nourishment for mind & body. So, come on out to our Atlanta office and nibble on lunch while we share a HealthLeaders Media Webcast with you. This is a great way to end the busy work week and sneak in a mini-study course! All at no cost to you or your organization. We look forward to seeing you there!

Seating is limited, please RSVP to this Lunch & Learn to reserve your spot.

For details on this event, read on...

Marketing professionals in the healthcare industry face unique challenges when it comes to preserving budgets, promoting the organization, and justifying the costs of marketing campaigns.

Meet these challenges head-on with an effective method for measuring the success of your efforts and proving that marketing is not just a cost, but a valuable revenue stream as well.

Please join HealthLeaders Media for the live webcast: "Measuring and Demonstrating Marketing ROI in a Healthcare Setting." Sponsored by the monthly newsletter Healthcare Marketing Advisor, this 90-minute program will demonstrate how a solid planning approach and measurement tools can be used to demonstrate ROI of healthcare marketing efforts across a balanced scorecard.

Watch and listen as marketing experts from San Diego, California's Sharp HealthCare, with facilitation by a coach from Studer Group, discuss their strategies for success, analyze real-life case studies, and address the following objectives:
· How to gain leadership confidence with marketing measurement tools
· How to build and use a relational database to measure marketing effectiveness
· How to market smarter by having detailed information on your target audiences
· How to enhance internal relationships with employees to gain confidence of the community
· How to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns

During this program, you'll learn how to set goals for internal, customer, and community marketing that are consistent with your organization's vision; as well as how to measure progress toward, and achievement of, these goals in a way that demonstrates the return on investment (ROI) for marketing efforts.

Who should attend this webcast?
· Senior healthcare executives in hospitals and medical groups: CEO, CFO, VP/Director/Manager of Marketing

· Healthcare professionals involved in: Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations

Program Agenda:

1. Why measuring ROI is vital to leadership confidence in healthcare marketing
2. Strategies for obtaining key stakeholder buy-in to improve acceptance of measurement protocol 3. The value of building a relational database
4. Effective Customer Relationship Marketing
5. Marketing at the bedside-the experience as the differentiator
6. Using internal communication tools to promote the quality of your organization
7. Report card metrics-employee, patient, and physician satisfaction; employee turnover; net revenue; community donations, etc.
8. Measuring awareness and perception & market share
9. Live Q&A


Remember, space is limited, so please RSVP to this Lunch & Learn to reserve your spot.

HG Designs for Create Magazine

Hayslett Group's Manager of Production and Marketing, Michelle Clark, was recently invited to design a feature article for Create Magazine, a national publication that provides creative professionals with an insider's perspective on the people, news, trends and events that influence the local advertising and creative production industries.

The article designed by Ms. Clark, "A City With All The Right Moves: Atlanta's Motion Graphics Industry," can be viewed in issues of Create Magazine on stands now, or you can catch a peek of the article online.

To learn more about Create Magazine, visit www.createmagazine.com.

New Client Update: Adtech Global Solutions

Hayslett Group and What's Up Interactive Redesign
Adtech Global Solutions' Interactive Communications

Hayslett Group and What's Up Interactive have partnered to help Adtech Global Solutions (AGS) redesign their website and various interactive marketing tools in line with a refocused and comprehensive branding effort.

AGS is a single source for integrated computer solution needs for ISV’s, OEMs, resellers and end users. AGS covers everything from initial system engineering and manufacturing to complete system configuration, certification, onsite implementation, professional services and support . With offices worldwide, including London, Hong Kong and Tokyo, AGS is headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga.

For more information on Adtech Global Solutions, go to www.adtechglobal.com.

For more information on What's Up Interactive, go to www.whatsup.com.

HG Welcomes Courtney Roberts!

Hayslett Group recently welcomed intern Courtney Roberts to to the HG family. She will be working with our staff for the next six months.

Courtney has previously worked for MediaFirst PR. While there she did a little bit of everything. Her many functions included writing press releases and backgrounders and researching clients and media outlets. She also worked at Bridgers, P.C. for five years.

Courtney is a senior at Oglethorpe University and will soon be graduating with a degree in communications.

Happy New Year & Winter Lunch & Learn

Happy 2006 to everyone. We look forward to a prosperous new year and hope for the same for all of our clients and friends. Perhaps we will see you at our winter Lunch & Learn!

Top 3 Rules-Based Marketing
Strategies Guaranteed to Drive Results
February 15, 2006
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Hayslett Group would like to cordially invite you to join our office and contacts to "Lunch & Learn." We will provide the complimentary nourishment for mind & body. So, come on out to our office and nibble on lunch while we share an AMA sponsered webcast with you. This is a great way to break up the busy work week and sneak in a mini-study course! All at no cost to you or your company. We look forward to seeing you there!

Space is limited so please RSVP to reserve your spot.

If you would like to be notified of future free lunch & learn events, please email Michelle Clark.

Holiday Memories

Not to get too corny, but Hayslett Group staff members take a moment to reflect on favorite holiday moments and memories...What's yours?

"As adults we've all learned by now (hopefully!) that giving is better than receiving, but never was the "giving" as delightful as when my daughter was three years old. Anything related to Christmas is met with oohs and ahs from a three year old. There are no opinions on the latest toy fads, no whines over the wrong doll collection and no written lists of unattainable gifts.... just pure elation over anything that blinks, twinkles or has a shiny nose.

Twenty years later, I still remember that 30 minutes of sheer joy and pleasure as I strolled up and down the aisles of the discount store, laughing out loud as I pulled beautiful, but inexpensive shiny new toys and cuddly, furry, lovable things into my cart. And all these gifts were squealed over and hugged on Christmas morning, but mind you, this only lasts for one year!" -Judy Hayslett

"About 15 years ago, my parents decided they couldn’t keep up with all the nieces and nephews likes and dislikes, so they started giving everyone money. (Mind you they are all in their 30’s now!) But they didn’t just hand out a check, a bill or a card. Every year, they hid the money in our house, and the cousins had to find it. For example, one year, my parents folded the bills origami style into everyone’s initials and hung them on the tree like ornaments. Another year they carefully cracked open walnuts, gutted them, put the bills inside the walnuts, glued them back together, and then filled a bowl with the “nuts” and put them out on a side table. My absolute favorite ever though, was the year they got a box of piroulines cookies, those long skinny, delicate cookies filled with chocolate…my father got out his tiniest drill bit ever and gently drilled out the chocolate from the cookies, rolled a bill up as tiny as possible, stuffed it in the cookie, and the “resealed” the cookie on the ends with the gutted chocolate. Of course, these cookies then made their debut on the dessert table….Every year it is so much fun to have everyone “wonder and search” for them, and laugh and remember the crazy and amazingly creative things my parents have come up with in the past. They are pretty cool for parents." -Michelle Clark

"Flocking and decorating the tree was a big deal in the Parker house. We didn't have rigid restrictions as to the date we put our tree up, but there were no Charlie Brown Christmas trees allowed. I guess the fake snow on the tree was meant to complement the real snow on the outside. We usually had plenty by Christmas because I grew up in Illinois." - Jackie Parker

"I remember going downtown to Rich's with my mama all dressed up in my new RED Christmas dress to ride the Pink Pig and see Santa... Rich's had Santa's reindeer so you could see them as you waited to see Santa. All of this was on the top floor of Rich's and you could see the BIG tree right outside. The Pink Pig rode OVER the Rich's TOY Department! Very exciting at age 4! I asked Santa for a little piano and to my surprise Christmas morning....I had a toy black grand piano just my size that I dearly LOVED. I expect my sister didn't love it as much since I 'banged' on it ....no formal lessons yet!" - Denise Grove

"The first Christmas we took our grandchildren, Drew 4 and Emily 3, to a tree farm to cut down a Christmas tree turned out to be a lesson in reasoning with children.

I explained to the kids that we were looking for a tree that was just the right size for us. As we walked around I asked the kids if they liked this tree or that tree. Drew liked all the really big trees, but Emily didn't like any of the trees until she saw a little 'Charlie Brown' type tree. She wrapped her arms around the tree and hugged it saying this was the perfect tree!

Drew looked at the tree and said that it was too little to be a Christmas tree; we needed one as tall as a house. Emily kept hugging the tree. I told her that the tree she selected was just a baby tree, and that it would make the mommy tree sad for us to cut it down until it was big enough to make a wonderful Christmas tree. Emily said okay and gave the tree one last hug. We finally selected another tree that Drew deemed big enough and Emily okayed. However, when Grandfather proceeded to cut the tree down, Emily started crying and yelling, "Stop!" She said we could not cut the tree because it was a mommy tree, and it would make the baby tree really sad. Drew looked around at all of the trees and said that all the big trees were mommy trees...We couldn't cut any of them.

As we walked back to the car, treeless, I asked Drew and Emily if they would like to buy a tree that was already cut or use an artificial tree. Drew said that we could buy a tree that had already been cut because they were orphans and would like to be with a family for Christmas. Emily agreed so off we went to the 'orphan' tree lot."

-Ann Collins

Firms Team Up on Eminent Domain

The Georgia Association of REALTORS® has hired the team of Bigelow Advertising and Hayslett Group Strategic Communications to launch a statewide campaign to push for eminent domain legislation. The REALTOR’s campaign seeks to re-establish private property rights for Georgians following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. New London.

The team has created a multi-faceted campaign that incorporates traditional advertising, media relations, public affairs work and grassroots involvement.

“The Georgia Association of REALTORS is very appreciative of the work this team has delivered,” said Bob Hamilton, GAR’s chief executive officer. “Bigelow and Hayslett Group have developed a comprehensive campaign that gets to the heart of the issue on eminent domain and should serve us well as we move toward being a part of the solution during the next General Assembly.”

Bigelow Advertising designed a look and feel that is carried throughout the campaign’s specially designed website, yard signage, bumper stickers and collateral. The agency also developed a radio campaign that will run in markets across the state.

Hayslett Group officially launched the campaign with a press conference held at the Georgia state capitol in October. A broad media relations effort will extend the reach of the story throughout the length of the campaign, which is expected to run through the next Georgia General Assembly.

Together, the two agencies developed the structure and content for the campaign’s website, www.protectGAprivateproperty.com. The site serves as a hub for the mobilization of a concerted grassroots campaign. With the Association’s 36,000 members across the state, the website operates as a repository for vital information on the issue and provides tools by which citizens can deliver e-mail messages to their legislators requesting support for enacting legislation to curb eminent domain abuse.

“We are very pleased to be working with the Georgia Association of REALTORS,” said Tom Bigelow, president of Bigelow Advertising. “This campaign allows us to develop a quality creative effort that also works toward resolving a very real concern; that being the need to create legislation designed to curb eminent domain abuse.”

Charlie Hayslett, president of Hayslett Group added, “Our firm prides itself on our ability to help groups such as the Georgian Association of REALTORS shape policy for the betterment of the public. The work we are able to do on this campaign should help restore the concept of private property rights for Georgians.”

For the Love of it: HG Pro-Bono work

A local publication for the communications industry, Oz Magazine, recently highlighted several Atlanta agencies and firms for their pro-bono work in an article entitled "Let the Good Works Roll" by Zachary Keebaugh. Hayslett Group was profiled for the piece for our work with Cochran Mill Nature Center in South Fulton. You can read the entire article at Oz' s website, or the short Hayslett excerpt.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays from All of us here at Hayslett Group! Don't eat too much turkey!

New Client Update

Hayslett Group will aid in research and strategic communications planning for Memorial Hospital & Manor, a non-profit community hospital located in Bainbridge, Georgia.

For more information on Memorial Hospital & Manor, go to www.mh-m.org.

And the Phoenix Goes to...

Last night was the lovely Public Relations society of America Phoenix Awards celebration. The dessert was delicious and the conversation delightful. Hayslett Group was honored to receive a Phoenix Award for a speech we wrote for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and two certificates of excellence for an Op-Ed we wrote for the Hyde Family farm several months ago and for our integrated communications campaign for Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, Georgia. In particular, just the fact that our small, rural hospital client was in the running with the National Dairy Association is wonderful! Nothing beats doing quality work with quality clients!

In October, we were honored by the International Association of Business Communicators with a Gold Flame Award for the same speech as above, and two Bronze Flames for a logo we designed for Cochran Mill Nature Center and for our HealthPlex at Sumter Regional Event campaign.

Thanks to all of our clients and staff members for their creativity and hard work! And Congratulations to all the other firms and business that won for their fine work.

Online Marketing Tip

This is short and sweet.

A couple of years ago I realized I didn't know enough about interent and online marketing. I wasn't sure how to maximize the potential of our website, how to track its effectiveness, and how to improve upon it. After all, why have it if it does nothing for you? This was kinda scary, attempting to keep up with all the changing technologies out there, but I figure I better know something and keep pace. I stumbled on to this website, Dr. Ralph Wilson's Web Marketing Today, which is very large and filled with all kinds of information. Almost too much, overwhelming for me, so I just stick to the e-newsletter I get from them every once in a while. I really appreciate and enjoy the little tips. I can't become an expert in this stuff overnight, but little by little I can use the tips and follow up on some of the things that really sound helpful.

And it has worked...I have tracked our web stats over the past two years. The changes to content, increase in our online presence, and increase in traffic leads have resulted in an increase not only in visitors, but quality visitors who are seriously interested in our services. The amount of visitors who have spent over 10 minutes at our site has risen remarkably! Not to mention we have tracked our business leads and have seen a rise and direct link to web referred clients..the ultimate "web conversion."

Enjoy. If you want to ask us about some of the specifics we have done to make our web site a more viable marketing tool, feel free to leave a comment or email us!

Boring! Boring! Boring!

I am thoroughly impressed by how boring a lot of communications professionals' publications are. Half the stuff I get in the mail I can't even read it is so visually uninteresting. I wonder why the very publications that are put out to attract people who communicate for a living are not designed to effectively do so.

Not all of them are boring. Most graphic design and advertising stuff: print, Communication Arts and local pubs like Oz Magazine and Create are fairly interesting to interact with. They are engaging. However, PR and marketing pubs...blech. The majority of them are just not visually interesting, much less stimulating. Why?

I want to learn about the latest trends and tips and studies in PR and Marketing. I want to file away articles and keep back issues on my shelves for years...but I am bored before I even pick them up...half the time publications get left on my desk for months before I finally forget my book at the house and desperately need something to read on the train ride home.

While this seems like a rant, and I suppose it is, I actually was first inspired to write this because of a particularly good, fun, direct mail industry publication I have been getting for the past year or so. It is called Deliver, and it is put out by the USPS for goodness sake, who does a better job of catching my eye, and quite honestly the secretary's eye, than associations devoted to "catching one's eye." After all, the secretary sorts through the mail and makes the first cuts as to what ends up in our mailboxes. I am sure many other company's have the same thing happening in their offices.


Another publication that has pleasantly surprised me in the past year is IABC Atlanta's most recent format for their newsletter, empart. It is interesting and different. A huge improvement on the original. I delight it it's charming size and use of two colors.

In closing, I thank all publications who have dared to make me excited, and I ask all publishers in a general plea on behalf of readers of all kinds: Don't be afraid to make it interesting.

And of course...Happy Halloween!

Yay!

We don't know exactly what level of awards we won yet, but we just heard today that we won something from PRSA for the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta "Hope & Will" speech, a Hyde Farm Op-Ed and the Sumter Regional Hospital "Community Minded...Just Like You" campaign, and from IABC we won something for the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta "Hope & Will" speech,

the HealthPlex at Sumter Regional Grand Opening campaign and pro-bono client, Cochran Mill Nature Center's, "Nature + Nurture" Volunteer Logo.

Yay! We will let you know what level of award when we do!