Metzger Associates' Blog

We've Moved -- Our Blog, That Is

We've moved our blog from Typepad to Wordpress. Please check for new posts and updates at metzgerpr.wordpress.com. We'll keep this one up a bit longer, but won't be posting here.

We'll see you at the new site!

We've Moved -- Our Blog, That Is

We've moved our blog from Typepad to Wordpress. Please check for new posts and updates at metzgerpr.wordpress.com. We'll keep this one up a bit longer, but won't be posting here.

We'll see you at the new site

We've Moved -- Our Blog, That Is

We've moved our blog from Typepad to Wordpress. Please check for new posts and updates at metzgerpr.wordpress.com. We'll keep this one up a bit longer, but won't be posting here.

We'll see you at the new site

We've Moved -- Our Blog, That Is

We've moved our blog from Typepad to Wordpress. Please check for new posts and updates at metzgerpr.wordpress.com. We'll keep this one up a bit longer, but won't be posting here.

We'll see you at the new site

There's Nothing Like Free Trial

Skype has been very aggressive of late with free offers, all designed to get people to try the service. The numbers will tell the tale, but the offers are certainly interesting and compelling.

First, Skype offers free domestic outgoing calls for the rest of the year. We have to admit that some of us in the office that only used Skype to call other Skype users (which is free globally) are now using Skype as a regular telephone.

Now it seems that almost every week a different offer from Skype arrives in our email box. Free calls to Mexico one weekend, free calls to the U.K. the next. As long as pipe owners don't degrade the service (not to open an entire net neutrality debate!), Skype is certainly positioning itself to replace "land lines" as we know them.

Metzger Associates Featured in PR Week Magazine

Metzger Associates and CEO John Metzger were recently featured in PR Week Magazine in an article on the state of the PR industry in Colorado. The article follows.

Rocky Mountain High

by Craig McGuire - 17 Apr 2006 11:00

An entrepreneurial spirit is infusing Colorado's business scene, and companies and PR agencies alike agree talent is abundant.

 

Like many other regions, job losses in telecom, tech, and tourism slammed Colorado in the wake of the 2001 recession. But while recovery here has lagged behind the overall economy, today the area's performance, especially in the metro Denver area, is outstripping many national averages.

"As our economy has improved, the value of PR is increasing as a vital marketing tool among our state's business community," says local PRSA president Scott Harris.

In the news, the $1.7 billion T-REX infrastructure initiative (light rail and highway improvements for metro Denver) has created buzz. Denver International Airport marked its 10th anniversary, welcoming the return of Southwest Airlines, much to the discomfort of rivals Frontier and United.

Time named Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) one of the top five US mayors, leaving politico watchers wondering, "Will Hickenlooper run?" for governor.

In other news, the University of Colorado's football team was hit by sex scandals, Coors and Molson toasted a merger, some fumed at a smoking ban, and the Broncos didn't make the Super Bowl.

 

The agency side

Ogilvy has long been the market's only major national. "We've found tech and consumer marketing to be the two most active segments," says MD Amy Messenger. "Local clients like Level 3 want a national perspective. Consumer clients like Crocs need a global network [with] consumer goods creativity, but appreciate a local team."

Still, Colorado is dotted with scores of independents.

"The state's most successful firms are both homegrown and home-owned," argues Peter Webb, principal at Webb PR. "Colorado businesses are loyal and know they can get the same strategy and professionalism from the business friends they see on the ski slopes as they can from a New York firm."

But Weber Shandwick will soon enter the market when it launches a dedicated office in Colorado, says Laura Taylor, SVP at WS.

"Speaking from the tech side, we continue to see Colorado as a region of smaller companies, but perhaps where more innovative business is being launched," she adds. "My focus is bringing PR back to Colorado. So many companies still outsource their agency business outside the state."

The vacuum left by the 2001 recession made the market more suitable for smaller agencies with less overhead, says Patrick Ward, partner at 104¡ West Partners.

"Several new firms have been created... and [many] individual consultants have put out a shingle," says Ward. "That has created a fragmented market where generalist shops suffer and shops with unique capabilities thrive."

The momentum may spawn consolidation "as the market picks up and clients require a single view into certain PR activities or want a deeper bench than individual consultants can provide," Ward adds.

Still, Colorado should stay strong for independent PR firms.

"We don't have a lot of Fortune 500 companies, but we're a strong market for small businesses and privately held entrepreneurial growth companies," says Leanna Clark, principal at Schenkein.

As the state's economy has recovered, there's more inbound growth and disposable income, creating growth activity in consumer goods and real estate, and a resurgence in tech, ever the main driver here.

"Colorado has perhaps the highest concentration of serial entrepreneurs and highest per-capita tech work force in the nation," says John Metzger, CEO of Metzger Associates. "The technologies of the future - biotech, aerospace, telecom, energy, and IT - are aligning in Colorado like no place else."

Inside the corporations

Corporate communicators are finding it crowded in Colorado these days, says James Moore, SVP of corporate communications and development at Ent Federal.

"The increased quality of PR by competitors simply raises the bar," he says. "The true challenge is breaking through the increasingly complex communications environment to attract and hold an audience's attention to a message."

Locals agree that strategic communications talent is abundant.

"It is a major US market that gives us a central location to strategically manage communications in our 14 Western states," says Bob Charlton, corporate communications VP for Qwest. "Still, we know it is incumbent on us to be more assertive to engage national media.

"This is a wonderful location to work," adds Charlton, who has been all over the world and only landed in Denver five months ago. "Professionally, it is also very invigorating. The region has an incredible technology story to tell."

The region's diverse array of specialized firms also has its benefits for corporate PR pros, he adds.

"We regularly tap a variety of talented firms," Charlton says. "This enables us to bring in relevant niche players when we need to and not be beholden to a larger firm."

The media market

Colorado has both thriving traditional outlets and a growing number of homegrown bloggers. And Denver is fortunate to still have two dailies: The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News.

"A joint operating agency manages business operations and advertising for both, but editorial operations are independent of each other, which keeps them competitive," says Barry Grossman, Praco PR's account group director.

Elsewhere, such cities as Aurora, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, and Grand Junction boast daily and weekly newspapers.

"The fact that consumers have so many choices, including a proliferation of resources for news outside of Colorado, significantly reduces the impact of the traditional approaches," Ent Federal's Moore says. "I don't believe it will get easier or simpler in the future."

 

SELECTED PR FIRMS Catapult PR-IR
CTA PR
JohnstonWells PR
Linhart McClain Finlon PR
Metzger Associates
MGA Communications
October Strategies
Ogilvy PR Worldwide
PRACO
Schenkein
Fleishman-Hillard
Webb PR

FORTUNE 1,000, 2005 Qwest Communications
TransMontaigne
First Data
Liberty Media
Echostar Communications
Ball
Newmont Mining
Molson Coors Brewing
MDC Holdings
Level 3 Communications
Western Gas Resources
CH2M Hill
Regal Entertainment Group
Sports Authority
Storage Technology
Cenveo
Dex Media
AIMCO

John Metzger looks at RedZone Software's business plan

John Metzger, CEO of Metzger Associates, recently reviewed the corporate business plan for RedZone Software for the Denver Business Journal. A link to the article is here.

John Metzger covers VC in the Rockies Conference for American Venture Magazine

John Metzger, CEO of Metzger Associates, recently attended the Venture Capital in the Rockies Conference and covered the event for American Venture Magazine. A link to the article is here .

Natural Products Mirrors Technology’s Evolution Presentation at the Boulder Chamber of Commerce

Metzger Associates presented observations on how the natural products industry is mirroring the path of the high-tech industry prior to the tech boom recently at the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. The presentation was based on the article "Natural Products Industry Mirrors Technology’s Evolution: Maturing market follows branding opportunities at the beginning of the tech boom" by John Metzger that was originally published in the Natural Products Industry INSIDER in October 2005.

Click below if you'd like to download a copy of the article or presentation slides in Adobe PDF.

We look forward to any questions or comments you may have. Please post a comment here, or email John Metzger at john@metzger.com.

Download natural_products_industry_insider_10_2005.pdf

Download boulder_chamber__natural_products_02_22_06.pdf

Metzger Associates Releases Findings from New Media Summit

On Jan. 11, Metzger Associates held a New Media Summit, where Boulder Daily Camera Business Editor Matt Brannaugh asked four panelists to look ahead at what might happen in the new media landscape in 2006.

After the Summit, we asked the audience members to give us their feedback as well. We've taken what we've learned and released what we think are the trends to watch in 2006.

Download the news release here: Download top_ten_trends_vf.pdf.

As always, we look forward to your feedback and input.