‘I Love Jesus, but I Drink a Little’ is a Television Magical Moment

I used to work for a news director who wanted to try to create “magical moments,” on television.  Not necessarily historical moments, but memorable moments. The thing is, in live television, memorable moments often simply happen (which is why t.v. bloopers can be really entertaining to watch) they are rarely planned. While I truly believe he understands this, he also wanted to try to create a backdrop for these moments to occur.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a planned magical moment, by the way.

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Tags: bloopers, Ellen DeGeneres, Facebook, magical moments, Video of the week

Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington Celebrates First Anniversary

The Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington is marking its first anniversary this month, and to celebrate, the hotel and the Bloomington ChopHouse will feature special deals all month long.

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Rising Costs of College Could Send Kids to School Online

Over the weekend I had a spirited discussion with my cousin about the future of post-secondary education. We talked, not so much whether high school graduates would go, but more the process by which students will earn their diploma.  As a footnote, I should mention that my cousins passion is studying and evaluating colleges and universities in the United States.  Ask him what you need to score on the SAT to get into Carleton College in Minnesota and he’ll tell you, ask him the graduation rate of Hullabaloo U and he’ll rattle that off.  What year was the College of Charleston founded, he probably has that packed away somewhere in his brain.  You get the idea…he’s a university savant.

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Tags: Carleton College, chat, classroom, college expenses, college of Charleston, email, Facebook, financial struggles, post-secondary education, student loans, tweet, Twitter, virtual classroom

E*Trade Baby Tees Up a Good Laugh

Maybe it’s that I play golf, or maybe it’s my amusement in sophomoric humor.  Whatever, this week, I offer the E*Trade baby talking smack in a golf themed commercial.  I’ve not seen this on television yet, but I picked it off of YouTube tonight.

My sixth grade teacher, Miss Ferguson, used to have a saying for kids (like me) who laughed at dumb things.  She would say, “small things, amuse small minds.”  That phrase applies here and I make no apologies!  Enjoy.

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.

Tags: e-trade, e-trade baby, Video of the week, YouTube

Minnesota Golf Preview

There are more than 730,000 golfers in Minnesota, which means there are plenty of great tournaments and events. Here’s a preview of the season’s premier golf events, including the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in August:

Play Golf Minnesota Week – April 27 - May 3 – The official golf season opener features a week of events for players of all ages and skill levels including free lessons, clinics and tips from experts.

Minnesota Golf Champions – May 8-10 – This tournament features past champions facing off against one another for the title at Minneapolis Golf Club.

Minnesota Senior Open – May 26-27 – Golfers over 50 will compete at The Links at Northfork in Ramsey.

PGA Professional National Championship – June 28-July 1 – Minnesota Section PGA members Jeff Sorenson, Craig Brischke, Jay Norman, Ty Armstrong, Dave Tentis, Todd Kolb and Brad Schmierer have qualified to play at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., for a spot in the PGA Championship in August at Hazeltine National.

3M Championship – July 2-6 – The best golfers on the Champions Tour compete at Victory Links Golf Course in Blaine.

Minnesota State Open – July 24-26 – Held at Hastings Country Club, the largest state tournament for professionals and amateurs also features a partnership with Special Olympics of Minnesota for the State Pro-Am.

Minnesota Women’s State Open – Aug. 4-5 – The top female golfers in the state face off at Hillcrest Golf Club in St. Paul.

PGA Championship – Aug. 8-13 – The best golfers in the world compete in one of the major golf championships at Hazeltine National Golf Course in Chaska.

MN PGA Professional Championship – Aug. 31 – Sept. 1 – Minnesota PGA Professionals will play at The Pines in Nisswa to move toward earning a spot in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.

Social Media Marketing: Ain’t Nothin’ but a Party!

Last week I was a sponsor at the Allied Executives Business & Economic Symposium (a sobering experience, but that’s another post) in Oakdale, MN.  As part of the arrangement, I was allowed to put up a booth, show off my wares and given the opportunity to talk to visitors before and after the symposium. I was engaged in several discussions about social media and how it enhances the value of social media as part of a PR campaign. Let me re-phrase that.  Not only does social media enhance the value, it’s quickly becoming a substantial part of the PR value proposition.

Anyway, here’s the point:  Most people new to Facebook, Twitter and the like have a difficult time grasping the value of this medium.  After explaining the how’s and why’s of social media, I ultimately found myself pointing to a YouTube video performed by expert Perry Belcher.  He compares sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as parties.  Check out Perry’s explanation and see what you think.  If you’re like me, you’ll watch it, join Twitter and the first person you’ll follow, will be Perry Belcher.

 So, this week, our Video of the Week is educational.  If you’re business is struggling to figure out how to use social media to grow, see if Perry can help.  You may be surprised!

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.

Tags: Allied Executives, Facebook, Perry Belcher, PR, PR value proposition, social media, Twitter, Video of the week, You Tube

Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington Hotel Named Best Valentine’s Day Destination

A romantic getaway doesn’t have to be far away. In fact, the perfect Valentine’s weekend could be right in your backyard. The Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington Hotel was just recognized by industry leaders as having the most creative Valentine’s Day getaway package.

The Hilton – which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month – is offering a one night’s stay in a deluxe guestroom for two from $169. The offer features champagne or sparkling cider, chocolate covered strawberries, $50 voucher for the Bloomington ChopHouse or room service, robes, turndown service and late check-out of 3 p.m. The promotion is valid weekends through February 21, 2009.

Chosen from 11 Bloomington hotels through a Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau website program, the Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington Hotel’s Valentine’s package was voted the best. In addition the Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington is ranked fifth among all domestic Hilton Hotels from customer service scores.