Agency Earns Two Golden and Two Silver Trumpets at 52^nd Annual Awards Ceremony

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. (May 11, 2011) – JSH&A Public Relations, a leading consumer marketing public relations agency with a national reputation for lifestyle PR, earned two Golden and two Silver Trumpets at the Publicity Club of Chicago’s 52^nd Annual Golden Trumpet Awards Luncheon. The awards honor achievement in public relations and communications across the Midwest.

“We’re proud to be recognized for work we do on behalf of our clients,” said Jim Kokoris, president and general manager of JSH&A Public Relations. “From new product launches to creative viral campaigns, 2010 was another successful year for our agency.”

S’mores: The Perfect Everyday “Snacktivity” For Summertime Memories
JSH&A and The Hershey Company took S’mores beyond the campfire and inspired moms to create S’mores memories every day with a strategic online campaign designed to reach some of the most influential women around – mom bloggers. The campaign centered on a partnership with the BlogHer conference to bring to life the ultimate S’mores experience for mom bloggers attending the conference. Completely branded and transformed to have the look and feel of a home, the “S’mores Snacktivity Suite” featured a cozy living room and kitchen with a door leading out to a picket-fenced backyard complete with grill and campfire. The suite provided a location for bloggers to meet with representatives from The Hershey Company and learn about all of the unique and simple ways S’mores can be enjoyed, driving the “everyday” purchase message. More than 380 tweets and 170 blog postings surrounding the “S’mores Snacktivity Suite” drove awareness and inspired moms to create everyday S’mores memories, earning the agency a Gold Trumpet in the new media category.

Hershey’s Celebrates Launch of Pieces® Candies
To build awareness and excitement of new Pieces Candies from Hershey, JSH&A launched a national media relations campaign that kicked off with a celebrity meet-and-greet with Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and a wrapper exchange event at the Hershey’s Times Square store. During the event, consumers were invited to exchange wrappers of their favorite Hershey’s candy bars for free bags of the corresponding Pieces Candies flavor. The launch event was also a prelude to a larger two-week Pieces Wrapper Reward Program inviting consumers across the country to mail in wrappers in exchange for a coupon of a free full-size bag of Pieces Candies. More than 55,000 people visited the website during the two-week period and 25,000 people signed up to receive a free bag of Pieces Candies within just four days. JSH&A earned a Gold Trumpet in the special events category.

Master Lock: Secret Combination to Surviving Teen Years
Capturing the attention of America’s youth is no easy feat, especially if your product is a combination lock. Master Lock tasked JSH&A to deliver a comprehensive, 360-degree program that targeted not only teens (a new audience for the brand), but also their parents for a revolutionary new combination lock, the Speed Dial, that opens on directional movements. JSH&A developed a humorous online video series and sweepstakes that was visual, interactive, and appealed to the two distinct audiences to successfully communicate the appeal and unique benefits of the Speed Dial leveraging the back-to-school time peg. The program earned JSH&A a Silver Trumpet in the marketing category.

Laphroaig® Named “Official Scotch of Curling”
Laphroaig® Islay Single Malt Scotch challenged JSH&A with generating awareness for its 2010 sponsorship of the United States Curling Association (USCA). In January 2010, JSH&A launched a national media relations campaign coupled with a VIP hands-on curling event in New York City to bring the sponsorship to life and demonstrate relevance to key reporters. JSH&A successfully encouraged editors to share the bold, flavorful taste and history of the Laphroaig brand with curling fans and Scotch enthusiasts across the country, giving new meaning to the phrase “Scotch on the Rocks.” More than 51 million media impressions were generated around the Laphroaig-USCA sponsorship, earning the agency a Silver Trumpet in the special events category.

About JSH&A Public Relations
JSH&A is an award-winning public relations agency known for its trademarked LIF™Style marketing approach, Social LIF™ practice and issues management expertise. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, JSH&A is redefining strategic public relations with high-impact campaigns that build brands and corporate reputations. For more information, including case studies, and to view the company’s social media newsroom, visit www.jsha.com.

Position Will Manage Agency’s Social Media Efforts

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. (February 08, 2011) – JSH&A Public Relations, a leading consumer marketing public relations agency with a national reputation for lifestyle PR and media relations, today announced that Miguel A. Cano has been hired as the agency’s Digital and New Media Director. Cano will develop and manage digital and social media initiatives for the agency and its clients.

“We’re thrilled to have Miguel join our team,” said Jim Kokoris, President and General Manager of JSH&A. “Social media initiatives are an essential part of every program we create. We’re confident that Miguel’s expertise will ensure that our digital footprint will continue to grow.”

Before joining JSH&A, Cano was a social media consultant for Sears Holdings Corporation. There he served as a Community Moderator, managing social media efforts on behalf of the company’s MyGofer brand. Prior to that, Cano worked as a Senior Analyst at a leading word-of-mouth marketing firm.

Miguel has a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications  and brings years of digital marketing and social media experience to the agency. His work in developing measurement platforms, in particular, will help clients evaluate the reach and effectiveness of programs.

About JSH&A Public Relations
JSH&A is an award-winning public relations agency known for its trademarked LIF™Style marketing approach, Social LIF™ practice and issues management expertise. Since 1989, JSH&A has been redefining strategic public relations with high-impact campaigns that build brands and corporate reputations. For more information, including case studies, and to view the company’s social media newsroom.

Issue Date: Daily Dog – February 1, 2011

Hershey’s-JSH&A PR Campaign for New Bliss Chocolate— Tapping Traditional and Social Media, and Word-Of-Mouth Strategies — Brings Bliss to Consumers

By Jim Bucci

For the launch of Hershey’s tasty new Bliss chocolate, execs wanted to do something yummy to match the candy’s rich, creamy, bite-size wonderfulness. For this new indulgent chocolate, Hershey’s wanted Bliss to celebrate the bliss of girlfriend-to-girlfriend bonds in a way that also celebrates life’s everyday bliss. To do this, Hershey’s brought in JSH&A Public Relations to bring the girlfriend-to-girlfriend theme to life.

The PR team launched an integrated word-of-mouth, social media and traditional media relations campaign to tell the Hershey’s Bliss story. They hosted 10,000 Hershey’s Bliss Chocolate Parties nationwide. This would be the first opportunity for girlfriends to experience and share Hershey’s Bliss with friends and family.

The parties were a huge success for Hershey’s. More than 150,000 friends and family members gathered to share personal stories of bliss while sampling Hershey’s newest indulgence.

“We leveraged and coupled the heritage of the Hershey’s brand with a unique marketing experience to help Hershey’s Bliss chocolate successfully enter the crowded chocolate category,” explains Cheryl Georgas, vice president of JSH&A Public Relations. “By launching Hershey’s Bliss with parties in 10,000 consumer homes, we created an authentic, engaging experience that introduced millions of consumers to the brand, encouraged trial, built brand loyalists and generated buzz.”

The Challenge: Break into an Overly Crowded Chocolate Category. “When Hershey’s Bliss chocolate launched, the chocolate category was becoming increasingly crowded with an abundance of product offerings and flavors,” says Georgas. “In order to help the brand enter and succeed in this competitive category, JSH&A needed to develop a breakthrough PR campaign that would generate awareness and encourage trial of the new chocolate.”

The Strategy: Launch Chocolate Parties for Girlfriends to Share Hershey’s Bliss with Family and Friends. When the Hershey Company debuted Hershey’s Bliss chocolate in April of 2008, the indulgent treat embraced a girlfriend-to-girlfriend theme and celebrated life’s everyday bliss. “To bring this theme to life, while building awareness and trial for the brand, we launched a synergistic PR campaign that leveraged word-of-mouth, social media and traditional media relations to tell the Hershey’s Bliss story,” explains Georgas.

“The PR launch featured the hosting of 10,000 Hershey’s Bliss Chocolate Partiesnationwide offering the brand’s target audience the first opportunity to experience and share Hershey’s Bliss with friends and family,” she continues. “The parties created more than 150,000 invaluable brand advocates who spread rave reviews of Hershey’s Bliss through social media and word-of-mouth.”

Each host received a party pack consisting of nine bags of Hershey’s Bliss for tasting as well as party favors for guests to take home, including product samples and branded grocery pads and magnets. The company also provided party ideas for the hosts, such as a scrapbook party or a “Blissful Memories” party, where guests were invited to bring their favorite photos and memorabilia to create their own “Blissful Memories” scrapbooks.

The party hosts were then transformed into brand evangelists and provided with online tools, including e-coupons and opportunities to post videos, photos and commentary at a dedicated website. This could all be shared at www.houseparty.com/hersheysbliss, and hosts and participants were invited to share feedback on their experiences.

The Results: Chocolate Bliss Parties Attract More Than 150,000 Friends and Family. The parties gathered more than 150,000 friends and family members to share personal stories of bliss while sampling Hershey’s newest indulgence. A successful traditional media outreach campaign combined with viral tactics generated more than 142.5 million impressions and 15,390 blog posts with an additional 10 million impressions generated through word of mouth marketing.

Secrets of Success: Read on a Georgas offers more tips and explains why this campaign won Silver in “Best Use of Social Media Tools—Business/Consumer” at the 2009 Bulldog Awards for Excellence in Media Relations & Publicity.

• Place your trust in the consumer. “The average consumer can be very effective in communicating the brand experience and message,” she offers. “Rather than overly control the message or experience, which is a ‘no-no’ in word-of-mouth campaigns, we provided suggested party activities that not only communicated the everyday bliss message, but also gave hosts the opportunity to create and define their own party and bliss. The result was an overwhelming number of creative parties. By not structuring the experience too heavily, the consumer endorsements for the brand were extremely authentic and effective.”

• Assess campaign risks upfront. “The chief risk we saw going into the Hershey’s Bliss Chocolate Parties was that there may not be enough consumer interest to fill the 10,000 party slots available,” she explains. “In reality, the risk was the exact opposite. We were faced with more than 24,000 people who wanted to host a party. The challenge then became, how to keep all 24,000 consumers engaged and satisfied with the brand. The solution was an exclusive email coupon available only to those who signed up for the parties and ten of their friends. Those who were not selected were also personally invited to join the Hershey’s Bliss chocolate community where they would receive exclusive updates and promotional offers from the brand. JSH&A found this to be an effective way to keep all consumers happy and the online buzz overwhelmingly positive.”

• Measure brand awareness pre- and post-campaign to effectively evaluate success. “Through the pre- and post-party surveys, Hershey’s Bliss chocolate was able to measure the increase in brand awareness created by the parties,” she says. “Prior to the Hershey’s Bliss Chocolate parties, 79 percent of hosts and guests indicated that they were not familiar with the Hershey’s Bliss brand (20 percent had heard of the brand launch). After the parties, nearly 99 percent of hosts indicated that they and their guests were familiar with the Hershey’s Bliss brand.”

WINNERS’ PROFILE: Headquartered in the Chicago area, JSH&A Public Relations is a full-service PR agency specializing in consumer marketing and media relations—both traditional and social media.

Agency to Support SKIL Power Tools Throughout 2011

MT. PROSPECT, ILL – December 20, 2010 – SKIL Power Tools, a leader in portable electric power tools and accessories in the do-it-yourself and professional construction markets, has named Chicago-area-based JSH&A Public Relations its agency of record. Throughout 2011, JSH&A will provide ongoing traditional and social media relations support for SKIL’s extensive product portfolio.

“It’s an excellent fit,” said Rick Bauer, brand manager, SKIL Power Tools. “JSH&A has a deep understanding of the power tool and do-it-yourself markets, as well as a strong expertise in social and traditional media. We’re excited to get started.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with such an established and respected brand,” said Jim Kokoris, president and general manager of JSH&A. “SKIL has a reputation for innovation and quality and we’re eager to help them raise their brand’s awareness.”

According to Kokoris, in addition to ongoing traditional media initiatives, JSH&A will support blogger outreach, Facebook page and Twitter management, as well as the company’s e-newsletter.

“It’s a comprehensive program,” said Bauer. “And it’s designed to help us reach new audiences.”

SKIL Power Tools joins an impressive roster of high-profile clients serviced by JSH&A Public Relations including The Hershey Company, Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., McDonald’s, Life Fitness, Sears Holding Co. and Purina.

About SKIL Power Tools:

SKIL Power Tools is a leader in portable electric power tools and accessories serving the consumer do-it-yourself and professional construction markets. Founded in 1924 with the invention of the worm drive SKILSAW, SKIL now delivers a complete line of power tools designed and engineered to help DIYers achieve home project success, while providing professionals durable, cost-conscious tools for the jobsite. For more information about SKIL Power Tools including information on where to buy the products above, visit www.skil.com, www.facebook.com/skil or call toll-free 877-SKIL-999.

About JSH&A Public Relations:

Chicago-area based JSH&A is an award-winning public relations agency known for its trademarked LIF™Style marketing approach, Social LIF™ practice and issues management expertise. For more than 20 years, JSH&A is redefining strategic public relations with high-impact campaigns that build brands and corporate reputations. For more information including case studies and to view the company’s social media newsroom, visit www.jsha.com.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. (June 7, 2010) – JSH&A Public Relations, today announced the promotions of Deanna Killackey and Cheryl Georgas to vice presidents.

During her seven-year tenure with the company, Killackey has consistently delivered measurable results and strategic programs for many of the agency’s marquee clients, including Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Midas International and McDonald’s.  Her strategic thinking and ability to build brand awareness has garnered numerous industry awards, including one PCC Golden Trumpet and five PCC Silver Trumpets Awards.

In addition to her account responsibilities, Killackey oversees the agency’s growing Social LIF™ function, developing and managing social media tools for various clients.

Since joining the agency in 2007, Georgas has managed The Hershey Company account, one of the agency’s largest clients. During that time, her creativity has earned her multiple industry awards, including three PCC Golden Trumpets, a PCC Silver Trumpet Award and PRSA Bronze Anvil Award.

In addition, Georgas oversees JSH&A’s training and recruiting initiatives.

“We’re thrilled to announce these promotions,” said Jim Kokoris, president and general manager. “Both Deanna and Cheryl have played a significant role in the success of our agency.  As they have grown, we have grown.”

About JSH&A Public Relations

JSH&A is an award-winning public relations agency known for its trademarked LIF™Style marketing approach, Social LIF™ practice and issues management expertise. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, JSH&A is redefining strategic public relations with high-impact campaigns that build brands and corporate reputations. For more information, including case studies, and to view the company’s social media newsroom, visit www.jsha.com.

Agency to Support Life Fitness Throughout 2010

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. – March 1, 2010 – Life Fitness, the global leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality exercise equipment for fitness facilities and homes, has named Chicago-based JSH&A Public Relations, its public relations agency of record. JSH&A will provide media relations support for the company as it works to expand its presence among key consumer and trade media and constituencies in the health and fitness category.

To generate additional exposure throughout the social media space, JSH&A will continue to build excitement and online chatter driving attention to the brand throughout the year.

“We’ve developed a comprehensive media relations campaign to further catapult the brand into the health and fitness arena,” said Deanna Killackey, senior account supervisor, JSH&A Public Relations and Life Fitness account lead. “We plan to help Life Fitness further its mission of helping people live healthier lives by building awareness of its world-class products and services.”

Life Fitness joins an impressive roster of high-profile clients serviced by JSH&A Public Relations including The Hershey Company, Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., McDonald’s, Redbox Automated Retail and Robert Bosch Tool Company.

About JSH&A Public Relations:

Chicago-area based JSH&A is an award-winning public relations agency known for its trademarked LIF™Style marketing approach, Social LIF™ practice and issues management expertise. For more than 20 years, JSH&A is redefining strategic public relations with high-impact campaigns that build brands and corporate reputations. For more information including case studies and to view the company’s social media newsroom, visit www.jsha.com.

Agency Earns Five Golden Trumpets at 51^st Annual Awards Ceremony

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. (May 21, 2010) – JSH&A Public Relations, a leading consumer marketing public relations agency with a national reputation for lifestyle PR and media relations, earned five Golden Trumpets at the Publicity Club of Chicago’s 51^st Annual Golden Trumpet Awards Luncheon. The awards honor achievement in public relations and communications across the Midwest.

“We’re proud to be recognized for our team’s innovative approach to strategic communications,” said Jonni Hegenderfer, CEO and founder, JSH&A Public Relations. “Whether we were conducting a multi-faceted program featuring diamonds for Hershey’s Bliss® chocolate, launching a new product such as Laphroaig® 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky or giving away free gas and groceries as part of a Reese’s® Loves You Back™ promotion, 2009 was a watershed year for the agency.”

Hershey’s Bliss® Chocolate Share the Bliss™ Contest

JSH&A’s 360-degree public relations program in support of Hershey’s Bliss chocolate won in the ‘Marketing’ category for an integrated campaign using word-of-mouth, traditional media and social media relations. The multi-faceted program offered women the chance to experience the undeniable bliss of a 16-karat, $32,000 diamond necklace through the national Share the Bliss™ online contest. Five lucky women won the diamond necklace for two weeks and shared their experience through a blog on the Hershey’s Bliss chocolate website.

Spirited Investment Event

Through strategic media relations and a tasteful influencer’s sampling event titled “Market on the Rocks” held on Wall Street, JSH&A cut through media clutter of 2009’s recession stories and generated coverage in top publications such as USA Today, WSJ.com, Men’s Journal and many others highlighting Laphroaig 25 Year Old and Ardmore® 30 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whiskies as an investment for the future.

Reese’s® Loves You Back Event

As consumers struggled to pay for necessities like gas and groceries, JSH&A generated news and drove ‘buzz’ for the Reese’s Loves You Back™ promotion, an on-pack, instant-win promotion to win cash for gasoline and groceries. Five top Reese’s-loving cities were challenged to prove their city loves the Reese’s brand the most through an online vote. The vote ultimately crowned Norfolk, Va., the No. 1 Reese’s-loving city in America. In return, the Reese’s brand loved Norfolk back with a gasoline and grocery giveaway event – giving away more than 3,000 gallons of free gasoline and $30,000 in groceries.

Dremel eNewsletter

Since its 2005 inception, Dremel’s monthly eNewsletter created by JSH&A has been a success among Dremel fans. In 2009, the newsletter emerged as a forum for two-way dialogue with consumers by featuring tool capabilities and innovative uses. As a result, the eNewsletter reached more than 65,000 Dremel fans each month, an increase of 62 percent over 2008.

Hershey’s® Kisses® Chocolates Launches www.KissesCookies.com

To help position Hershey’s Kisses Chocolate as an authority on holiday baking, JSH&A created an integrated public relations program to launch www.kissescookies.com – a one-stop-shop social networking site for holiday bakers and entertainers, that also offered the opportunity to host a Hershey’s Kisses Cookies exchange, 1000 parties were heldin homes across America just in time for holiday entertaining.

About JSH&A Public Relations

JSH&A is an award-winning public relations agency known for its trademarked LIF™Style marketing approach, Social LIF™ practice and issues management expertise. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, JSH&A is redefining strategic public relations with high-impact campaigns that build brands and corporate reputations. For more information, including case studies, and to view the company’s social media newsroom, visit www.jsha.com.