Making Big Data Sense

Making Big Data Sense

Great article here on Atlanta entrepreneur Tom Lamar (Georgia Tech, Westminster grad) and his new company Aptidata Corp.

What is the craziest thing you've ever done at the office?

Mine was in October 1991. I was working at Georgia Trend magazine in downtown Atlanta. Headquarters was in Peachtree Center penthouse, 27 stories up. Great panoramic views of the city with sliding doors access to rooftop.

When the '91 Braves went Worst-to-First and nearly won the World Series, massive parade was held downtown along Peachtree St. Estimated crowd 800,000+ Braves fans turned out for the celebration. It was a zoo!

A photographer friend and I raided the office bathroom supplies and stuffed our hands and arms with rolls of toilet paper. We launched our confetti missiles from the tower rooftop and watched as they landed in the mass of humanity below. It was crazy!

Case Study: Fired Up About Fire

WHO: John Carroll, Carroll Communications

WHEN: Sept.-Dec. 2010

CLIENT: Pine Mountain Trail Association, Pine Mountain, Ga.

PARTIES at CONFLICT
-- Pine Mountain Trail Association (PMTA), a non-profit group, keepers and preservers of the Pine Mountain Trail, a 42-mile hiking trail system inside Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.

-- Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), state government administrator of parks, outdoor recreation, wildlife, wetlands, historic sites, and environmental protection.

THE SITUATION
PMTA opposes the DNR’s long-term prescribed fire plan for Pine Mountain at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park. PMTA believes the DNR’s fires are reckless, indiscriminate and damaging to the dominant hardwood forest and recreational hiking trails at Pine Mountain. Repeated efforts by PMTA board members to amend or curtail the DNR’s prescribed fire program at Pine Mountain have been futile.

CARROLL CONSULTS
In October 2010, Carroll Communications signed a short-term contract with the Pine Mountain Trail Association to plan, create and execute a PR Strategy & Campaign opposing the DNR’s prescribed fire plan.

PR CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVE

To create and deploy marketing, PR and social media assets for PMTA with the end goal of effectively intervening and resolving a 5-year dispute with the Georgia DNR over prescribed fire practices at FDR State Park.

PR CAMPAIGN TACTICS: CARROLL in ACTION

1. Wrote video script and co-produced 5-minute video on PMTA’s opposition to DNR’s long-term fire plan. Posted video on PMTA website and YouTube, where it received 1,200+ views in first month.
2. Composed and created an Online Petition of Opposition to DNR’s fire plan, which collected 834 signatures of support in less than two months from 148 cities, 27 states and three countries.
3. Authored and produced 10-page PMTA Report to the Community, which was posted on PMTA website and distributed to community leaders, resulting in increased public awareness of Pine Mountain conflict.
4. Created Facebook group to promote the Pine Mountain cause; gained 300+ members in two months.
5. Arranged meeting with top DNR officials and PMTA board members to find common ground. 

PR CAMPAIGN OUTCOME
Campaign was successful! Less than 3 months into PR Campaign, DNR agreed to cease further prescribed fires until a fire needs assessment plan is completed with input from PMTA.

PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS
John Carroll, Robbie Ross, Jim Hall, Malon Wickham, Richard Ramey, Sam Burke, Mark Hughes

Media Relations: Carroll Communications

JOHN CARROLL
CARROLL COMMUNICATIONS INC., Owner; Columbus, GA, 2007-present

Proprietor of PR firm providing consulting and business services in public relations, media relations, media training, writing, press conferences, publishing, video production, corporate communications, website content, and social media strategy.

»» Developed and executed marketing and PR plans for clients such as Knology of Columbus, Focus Technology Group Inc., Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital, West Georgia Honor Flight, Pine Mountain Trail Association, Hughston Clinic, author Andy Harp, and attorney John Woodham.

MEDIA RELATIONS

»» Write, create and distribute press releases for clients and work with print, television and radio media to gain news coverage. 

»» Consistently secure higher level of media coverage for clients than previous firms had delivered. Sampling of earned media placements:

o PRINT: 

The Albany Herald

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Backpacker Magazine

The Bayonet

Correio Braziliense (Brazil daily newspaper)

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Columbus and the Valley Magazine

The Daily Report

GolfWeek Magazine

LaGrange Daily News

Opelika-Auburn News

Orthopedics Today Magazine

Phenix Citizen News

Southern Views Magazine

The Valdosta Times

o RADIO: 

BBC Radio “5 Live” 

PMB Broadcasting Columbus (Kiss'n 99.3, 95.3 The Ride, Q107.3, and 103.7) 

Columbus 106.9 Rocks

o TELEVISION: 

CNN

WRBL-Channel 3 Columbus

WTVM-Channel 9 Columbus

WLTZ-NBC 38 Columbus

Fort Benning TV

The CW Network